It is a typical day in the Bay Area with low ceilings.  You are instrument current and ready to depart.  Filing your IFR flight plan you hesitate for a moment on the field for alternate airports.  You ponder for a moment to remember when are pilots required to file an alternate airport?  What constitutes an

Are you interested in aviation but not sure where to begin? Are you looking to find out more about becoming a pilot with a group of others like yourself? San Carlos Flight Center invites all prospective pilots to attend this workshop to learn about what it takes to become a part of general aviation. This

You may be familiar with planning and accomplishing VFR and IFR flights within the contiguous United States, but have you ever wondered how long, overwater international airline flights are planned and executed? How do you aviate, navigate, and communicate over remote areas of the world? What if something goes wrong half way across the ocean?

We love hearing about flights to interesting places and hearing the experiences of the pilots along the way. What went well? What did you see? What was different about operating there compared to airport hops around the SF Bay Area? San Carlos Flight Center invites in Nick Pliam, ATP, to share the story of this

It’s that time of year again! The Upwind Foundation and SCFC invite you to a fundraising Wine and Cheese Soiree on Friday, March 14th at 6:30 pm. All are welcome! We will celebrate the summer of fundraising, complete our silent auction, and as a special treat, we will meet the winners of the 2025 Upwind

SCFC is hosting EAA Chapter 20 for their Young Eagles event on January 18th. Learn more about Young Eagles from the EAA’s website.

NOTE: Since this event will involve active discussion, it will be held over Zoom and not broadcast via Livestream. Please RSVP by 12pm on the day of the seminar to receive Zoom meeting info via email before the event starts.   Most pilots like analyzing scenarios and trying to answer the age old question of what would

Prior to takeoff, pilots run the engine to a high power setting and confirm various system operation levels, including the ignition system. Occasionally, a rough or underperforming engine would result in the pilot abandoning the flight and taxiing back to the parking area. San Carlos Flight Center checklists include shorthand references to guide pilots what

Most people think of aircraft as things that fly high in the sky, well beyond the influence of ground effect.  But interestingly, some heavy transport vehicles are designed to skim the surface of the earth or the water, buoyed by the extra lift that ground effect provides. You may have heard of ground effect as

As pilots, we must know how to accurately plan for a cross-country flight. Join us for this in-person workshop at San Carlos Flight Center for a hands-on and scenario based learning experience. Senior CFI Herb Patten will show attendees the important elements of successful cross-country flight planning and walk you through your planning of a

Pursuing the instrument rating can be extremely challenging. It takes lots of training, studying, and commitment from the student and their instructor to master all the necessary skills and build the confidence to fly under IFR. What are some successful approaches to tackling this rating? What are some of the resources to use to study?

As more aircraft are equipped with the computer display instrumentation ( aka "glass cockpit"), pilots trained on traditional analog instruments must adapt their flying skills and knowledge to fly these new aircraft.  For a first timer, it can seem daunting, but with the right training most pilots adjust to the new instrumentation very quickly.  They