Private Pilot Checkride Stories

This seminar will be held in person at SCFC, attendance is free and open to all. Web Members will still be able to access our seminars online, both live and recorded. Click here to learn more about the transition.

Interested in watching more of our presentations? View our growing library of over 500 recorded safety seminars available to view in our Members Only Seminar Library, available by clicking here.

 

For most pilots, the first checkride is the most intimidating one. It can be a nerve-wracking experience decoding the ACS and sitting through the glare of the designated pilot examiner. With thorough preparation and an understanding of the process, you will feel more at ease.

San Carlos Flight Center invites a round-table of three newly-minted Private Pilots to share their journey in becoming a pilot. In this seminar they will each provide their own overview of their training experiences, how they prepared for their checkrides, some pitfalls to avoid, and how they worked with their instructors to ensure they were ready for the practical test. This is a great opportunity to hear from multiple perspectives, giving you the insight you need as you approach your big day.

Join us to hear more about the checkride experience, how to prepare, and have an insight into the first step of becoming a certificated pilot.

 

 

San Carlos Flight Center (SCFC) is the SF Bay Area’s most dynamic flying club, committed to building general aviation through safety, community, and adventure. AOPA has consistently recognized SCFC in their Best Flight School survey, most recently in 2023 as a Distinguished Flight School for the third year in a row.

SCFC is committed to promoting safety in general aviation through our regular safety seminars and guest speaker programs. Our seminars are free to watch when attended in person at our facility in San Carlos but live streaming and viewing recorded seminars are exclusively available to members. Click here or contact an SCFC member service rep at (650) 946-1700 for more information about online access to our web library of over 500 recorded safety seminars and live-streamed content.

California Mountain Flying Trip Recap

This seminar will be held in person at SCFC, attendance is free and open to all. Web Members will still be able to access our seminars online, both live and recorded. Click here to learn more about the transition.

Interested in watching more of our presentations? View our growing library of over 500 recorded safety seminars available to view in our Members Only Seminar Library, available by clicking here.

 

This summer, FlyOutGroup pilots took part in a multi-day training event to the Sierra-Nevada Mountains with stunning views while learning to fly safely at high elevation. Pilots faced many challenges on this journey including navigating challenging terrain and weather conditions. In this seminar, you’ll hear first hand from a pilot that completed the journey along with the CFI that provided the training. They will share the details of the trip and what was learned from this mountain flying adventure.

San Carlos Flight Center invites Private Pilot Garrett Held and his CFI Brian Eliot to discuss some highlights from their training trip in the mountains. The seminar will include discussions on travel experiences and practical training topics such as mountain flying, high-altitude conditions, route changes, and cross-country flight planning. The details of the upcoming trip will be shared so you can understand the details of the next amazing experience.

If you are interested in learning about mountain flying or joining the next Mountain Flying Training Trip, join us for a trip recap and preview of this exciting adventure.

Garrett Held is an instrument-rated private pilot with a little over 200 hours. He initially earned his private pilot in 2001 at San Carlos Airport and stopped flying shortly after, he started flying again in 2021. When not flying he works in computer security for a large financial technology company.

Brian Eliot is San Carlos Flight Center’s Assistant Chief Pilot and resident expert for IFR training and Garmin G1000 avionics. He has been flying since 1995 and received all his training in the Bay Area. Brian previously worked as a broadcast engineer, a software developer, and taught computer science at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. He regularly presents at San Carlos Flight Center safety seminars and has a reputation for making complex concepts easy to learn and understand.

 

San Carlos Flight Center (SCFC) is the SF Bay Area’s most dynamic flying club, committed to building general aviation through safety, community, and adventure. AOPA has consistently recognized SCFC in their Best Flight School survey, most recently in 2023 as a Distinguished Flight School for the third year in a row.

SCFC is committed to promoting safety in general aviation through our regular safety seminars and guest speaker programs. Our seminars are free to watch when attended in person at our facility in San Carlos but live streaming and viewing recorded seminars are exclusively available to members. Click here or contact an SCFC member service rep at (650) 946-1700 for more information about online access to our web library of over 500 recorded safety seminars and live-streamed content.

Sightseeing in Los Angeles for Pilots

This seminar will be held in person at SCFC, attendance is free and open to all. Web Members will still be able to access our seminars online, both live and recorded. Click here to learn more about the transition.

Interested in watching more of our presentations? View our growing library of over 500 recorded safety seminars available to view in our Members Only Seminar Library, available by clicking here.

 

Los Angeles is a great destination for SF Bay Area pilots. From its beautiful beaches to landmarks and large skyscrapers, there is a lot for GA pilots to see and do. The surrounding area is home to an extensive and dense airspace system full of transition routes, and airspace corridors which can be a challenge the first time they are encountered. As pilots we have the luxury of seeing sights from the air; but have you ever considered putting your SF Bay Tour mastery skills to the test with a sightseeing tour of Los Angeles?

In this seminar, SCFC invites back Dave Kramer, a commercial pilot and advanced ground instructor, who has traveled extensively in the Los Angeles area, to cover the safe and correct ways to transition the busy Los Angeles Class B airspace while on a sightseeing tour. He will discuss how to stay away from heavy LAX traffic, special use airspace, and stay situationally aware in the LA Basin. Dave will share his stories of transiting through Los Angeles airspace and how to see some amazing Los Angeles landmarks from the sky.

If you are planning to join the FlyOutGroup for their upcoming trip to Southern California, we encourage you to begin your research into this complex airspace. You’ll be better informed and more confident flying over some of Los Angeles sights. Don’t miss out on this unique learning opportunity.

 

Dave Kramer MD, is an instrument rated, tailwheel, complex and high performance endorsed commercial MEL pilot as well as a basic and instrument ground instructor with an interest in weather. He has been flying since 2012, has over 2100 hours of which over 1500 have been in the IFR system. He also enjoys long cross country flying, night flying and flying in the LA area.

 

San Carlos Flight Center (SCFC) is the SF Bay Area’s most dynamic flying club, committed to building general aviation through safety, community, and adventure. AOPA has consistently recognized SCFC in their Best Flight School survey, most recently in 2023 as a Distinguished Flight School for the third year in a row.

SCFC is committed to promoting safety in general aviation through our regular safety seminars and guest speaker programs. Our seminars are free to watch when attended in person at our facility in San Carlos but live streaming and viewing recorded seminars are exclusively available to members. Click here or contact an SCFC member service rep at (650) 946-1700 for more information about online access to our web library of over 500 recorded safety seminars and live-streamed content.

This seminar will be held in person at SCFC, attendance is free and open to all. Web Members will still be able to access our seminars online, both live and recorded. Click here to learn more about the transition.

Interested in watching more of our presentations? View our growing library of over 500 recorded safety seminars available to view in our Members Only Seminar Library, available by clicking here.

 

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

We encourage any student pilot working on their cross-country flight planning or rusty pilot to attend this workshop.

 

Herb Patten is the Chief Pilot at the San Carlos Flight Center, a CFI and an FAA certificated advanced and instrument ground instructor who teaches private pilot ground school at San Carlos Flight Center.  He is a commercial pilot with an instrument rating, has flown over 2,500 hours in more than 130 different California airports.  He is the current chairman of the Upwind Foundation, famous for its Upwind Summer Scholarship Program. In 2023, Herb was named a Distinguished Flight Instructor by AOPA.

 

 

San Carlos Flight Center (SCFC) is the SF Bay Area’s most dynamic flying club, committed to building general aviation through safety, community, and adventure. AOPA has consistently recognized SCFC in their Best Flight School survey, most recently in 2023 as a Distinguished Flight School for the third year in a row.

SCFC is committed to promoting safety in general aviation through our regular safety seminars and guest speaker programs. Our seminars are free to watch when attended in person at our facility in San Carlos but live streaming and viewing recorded seminars are exclusively available to members. Click here or contact an SCFC member service rep at (650) 946-1700 for more information about online access to our web library of over 500 recorded safety seminars and live-streamed content.

Math for Pilots: Volume 1

This seminar will be held in person at SCFC, attendance is free and open to all. Web Members will still be able to access our seminars online, both live and recorded. Click here to learn more about the transition.

Interested in watching more of our presentations? View our growing library of over 500 recorded safety seminars available to view in our Members Only Seminar Library, available by clicking here.

 

Of all the skills required to be a safe pilot, few people would put mathematics very high on the list.  But being able to calculate speeds, fuel amounts, weight and balance locations, allows the pilot to stay on top of critical performance information.  There’s no calculus, set theory, derivatives, or other advanced math concepts, so all that is really needed is a solid ability to do addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.

So why do some student pilots struggle with the math?  We’ve invited Advanced Ground Instructor Dan Dyer, to present some tips on surviving the harder math encountered on the way to a Private Pilot certificate.  He’s picked two areas that students often stumble with, and has created a presentation to walk us through surviving the calculations without getting lost or making mistakes.  One of the areas of trouble is interpolation, which is often needed to use airplane performance charts and some weather forecasts.  The other is a lack of understanding of the power of dimensional analysis and its use for cross-county flight planning calculations.  Dimensional analysis is a focus on units and unit conversions, and can unlock even the hardest flight planning challenge.  Additionally, Dan will emphasize taking things slowly and writing everything down as a way of avoiding the simple mistakes that most people make on the FAA Knowledge Test.

If you love math, and the powerful tool it gives us to understand the universe, we hope you tune in.  If you hate math, and are looking for ways to squeak by enough to become a safe pilot, we hope you tune in.  It should be an interesting look at a tiny, oft-feared area of knowledge on the path to becoming a pilot.

 

 

Dan Dyer is the founder of the San Carlos Flight Center, and has built the motto of Safety, Community, and Adventure for over 8 years.  Dan was an instructor for 15 years, accumulated over 4,000 flight hours, and is the Bay Area’s local expert in crosswind landing instruction. He is known for finding simple and innovative ways to explain complex topics and regularly speaks on advanced ground school topics.  Find out more about Dan at www.sancarlosflight.com or contact him at dan@sancarlosflight.com

 

 

San Carlos Flight Center (SCFC) is the SF Bay Area’s most dynamic flying club, committed to building general aviation through safety, community, and adventure. AOPA has consistently recognized SCFC in their Best Flight School survey, most recently in 2023 as a Distinguished Flight School for the third year in a row.

SCFC is committed to promoting safety in general aviation through our regular safety seminars and guest speaker programs. Our seminars are free to watch when attended in person at our facility in San Carlos but live streaming and viewing recorded seminars are exclusively available to members. Click here or contact an SCFC member service rep at (650) 946-1700 for more information about online access to our web library of over 500 recorded safety seminars and live-streamed content.

A unique destination, Nut Tree Airport (VCB) in Vacaville is located right next to a major shopping and dining center. A former amusement park, the Nut Tree area is now home to numerous dining options, making it a great place to travel to and satisfy all kinds of appetites.

On Friday, September 29 at 7 PM, let’s meet up at the Nut Tree airport and walk to the dining area. The flight is easy, but picking a restaurant is the hard part, with options ranging from BBQ to pizza, ramen to vitamin bowls, and sushi to Mexican food. Once you’ve secured the airplane at transient parking, walk to the south side of the hangars to the west, through the gate, and then follow the pathway to the shopping and dining center.

After your meal, treat yourself to Fenton’s Ice Cream, which is known for its one-of-a-kind creations and flavors, and is a popular place for residents of Solano County. Grab ice cream for the walk back, or enjoy dining on their patio.

The airport is lit at night, and it’s easy to pick up flight following with Travis Approach. Need to work on your night landings? Concord, Napa, and Oakland are within a fifteen-minute flight away.

Like other FOG events, RSVP on our website, and please indicate if you can take passengers to allow student pilots and other aviation community members to participate. Hope to see you there!

Private Pilot Checkride Stories

This seminar will be held in person at SCFC, attendance is free and open to all. Web Members will still be able to access our seminars online, both live and recorded. Click here to learn more about the transition.

Interested in watching more of our presentations? View our growing library of over 500 recorded safety seminars available to view in our Members Only Seminar Library, available by clicking here.

 

For most pilots, the first checkride is the most intimidating one. It can be a nerve-wracking experience decoding the ACS and sitting through the glare of the designated pilot examiner. Have you prepared, studied, and reviewed what’s required of you on checkride? Are you ready to fly on your own? And can you be the safe, competent pilot that we all aim to be?

San Carlos Flight Center invites a round-table of three newly-minted Private Pilots to share their journey in becoming a pilot. In this seminar they will each provide their own overview of their training experiences, how they prepared, some pitfalls to avoid, and how they worked with their instructors to ensure they were ready for the practical test. This is a great opportunity to hear from multiple perspectives, giving you the insight you need as you approach your big day.

Join us to hear more about the checkride experience, how to prepare, and have an insight into the first step of becoming a certificated pilot.

Imran Idzqandar (panelist) has 87 flight hours and passed his private pilot checkride in July of 2023. When he is not flying, Imran enjoys photography, tennis, rock climbing

Jerry Natoli (panelist) has 190 flight hours, received his private pilot certificate in June of 2023 and is beginning training for his instrument rating. Jerry enjoys spending time on his bike, traveling, visiting family and volunteering when not flying.

Jim Ren (panelist) has 132 flight hours and obtained his private pilot certificate in June. When he is not flying, Jim works as a software engineer and enjoys rock climbing, backpacking, and karaoke.

Herb Patten (moderator) is the Chief Pilot at San Carlos Flight Center.

 

San Carlos Flight Center (SCFC) is the SF Bay Area’s most dynamic flying club, committed to building general aviation through safety, community, and adventure. AOPA has consistently recognized SCFC in their Best Flight School survey, most recently in 2023 as a Distinguished Flight School for the third year in a row.

SCFC is committed to promoting safety in general aviation through our regular safety seminars and guest speaker programs. Our seminars are free to watch when attended in person at our facility in San Carlos but live streaming and viewing recorded seminars are exclusively available to members. Click here or contact an SCFC member service rep at (650) 946-1700 for more information about online access to our web library of over 500 recorded safety seminars and live-streamed content.

This seminar will be held in person at SCFC, attendance is free and open to all. Web Members will still be able to access our seminars online, both live and recorded. Click here to learn more about the transition.

Interested in watching more of our presentations? View our growing library of over 500 recorded safety seminars available to view in our Members Only Seminar Library, available by clicking here.

 

Speaking on the radio with ATC embodies a lot of a pilots workload. Sometimes pilots like to speak too much while transmitting on frequency, leading to frequency congestion, confusion, and can overall be an annoyance. As pilots we should be direct, clear, and professional with our transmissions. SCFC pilot Rowan Young has an interesting story about how his time training to be a controller on VATSIM, the virtual air traffic simulation network, actually improved his understanding and ability as a pilot.

As you may imagine, real life air traffic controllers go through extensive radio and procedures training. It turns out the same is true for people training to be virtual air traffic controllers on VATSIM. Over three years, Rowan studied the basics of airspace, airport and enroute procedures, LOAs, and detailed procedural training for all of Northern California and Oakland Center. Under supervised training, he was able to work up to controlling Oakland Center. Now, he trains others in ATC procedures in the SF Bay Area.

SCFC has invited Rowan to share what he has learned from virtual air traffic management, and how it informs his ability to use the radio effectively as a pilot. He has tips/references to the AIM on how to become a better pilot on the radio. He will also interactively show crucial examples of how being “lazy” or careless about radio phraseology can lead to confusion. Learn how to spot the confusion within multiple examples of bad phraseology, and ultimately become safer in the skies.

 

 

San Carlos Flight Center (SCFC) is the SF Bay Area’s most dynamic flying club, committed to building general aviation through safety, community, and adventure. AOPA has consistently recognized SCFC in their Best Flight School survey, most recently in 2023 as a Distinguished Flight School for the third year in a row.

SCFC is committed to promoting safety in general aviation through our regular safety seminars and guest speaker programs. Our seminars are free to watch when attended in person at our facility in San Carlos but live streaming and viewing recorded seminars are exclusively available to members. Click here or contact an SCFC member service rep at (650) 946-1700 for more information about online access to our web library of over 500 recorded safety seminars and live-streamed content.

SCFC Operations at Hayward

This seminar will be held in person at SCFC, attendance is free and open to all. Web Members will still be able to access our seminars online, both live and recorded. Click here to learn more about the transition.

Interested in watching more of our presentations? View our growing library of over 500 recorded safety seminars available to view in our Members Only Seminar Library, available by clicking here.

 

San Carlos airport will be closed for 30 days beginning Monday, September 11th. During that time, the San Carlos Flight Center fleet will be relocated to Hayward airport. While many members have some familiarity with Hayward having flown into and out of the airport, there are many new procedures that members will need to know to operate safely while we are temporarily based at Hayward.

Where will the planes be parked? How do I get fuel and oil for the airplane? Will I still be able to do training flights with my CFI during this time period? Where would I go to meet my CFI? What’s the best place to park? What unique ground operations should I be aware of at Hayward?

These and many more questions will be addressed during this seminar by Herb, Chief Pilot at SCFC. This seminar will be appropriate for all members of San Carlos Flight Center, whether you are a student pilot or a member that wants to book a flight. Remember, 91.103, requires the PIC to become familiar with all available information.

 

Herb Patten is the Chief Pilot at San Carlos Flight Center and the main instructor for the Private Pilot Ground School. In addition to those roles, Herb is a featured safety seminar presenter and develops the training curriculum used at the Flight Center. Herb has been recognized by AOPA as a Distinguished Flight Instructor and by the National Association of Flight Instructors.

 

San Carlos Flight Center (SCFC) is the SF Bay Area’s most dynamic flying club, committed to building general aviation through safety, community, and adventure. AOPA has consistently recognized SCFC in their Best Flight School survey, most recently in 2023 as a Distinguished Flight School for the third year in a row.

SCFC is committed to promoting safety in general aviation through our regular safety seminars and guest speaker programs. Our seminars are free to watch when attended in person at our facility in San Carlos but live streaming and viewing recorded seminars are exclusively available to members. Click here or contact an SCFC member service rep at (650) 946-1700 for more information about online access to our web library of over 500 recorded safety seminars and live-streamed content.

This seminar will be held in person at SCFC, attendance is free and open to all. Web Members will still be able to access our seminars online, both live and recorded. Click here to learn more about the transition.

Interested in watching more of our presentations? View our growing library of over 500 recorded safety seminars available to view in our Members Only Seminar Library, available by clicking here.

 

 

Pop quiz: What is the new ICAO standard marking for a taxiway approaching a runway? What is the difference between a relocated threshold and a displaced threshold and what does that indicate to pilots? What is a runway approach holding sign and what are pilots expected to do?

Most pilots have an operational knowledge of the most common runway signs and markings, but if you travel to a larger airport, are you knowledgeable about some of the less common signs and markings? If it has been awhile since you sat through ground school, you may want to join us for a refresher on airport signs and markings. In this safety seminar, we will review the common markings and signs as well as delve into other less common but still important signs and markings.

This safety seminar is open to current and aspiring Private Pilots, and will be of particular interest to student pilots and those who are preparing for a flight review.

 

Khizar Shabbir is a CFI at San Carlos Flight Center. Khizar was born in Pakistan and grew up in Hong Kong. He completed his primary flight training at Hillsboro Aero Academy in Portland, Oregon, and received his flight instructor training in Palo Alto. Khizar’s passion for aviation has taken him on an explorative journey across continents and people of various backgrounds. He is eager to continue learning and sharing the ideas of safety, community, and adventure with the next generation of pilots.

 

San Carlos Flight Center (SCFC) is the SF Bay Area’s most dynamic flying club, committed to building general aviation through safety, community, and adventure. AOPA has consistently recognized SCFC in their Best Flight School survey, most recently in 2023 as a Distinguished Flight School for the third year in a row.

SCFC is committed to promoting safety in general aviation through our regular safety seminars and guest speaker programs. Our seminars are free to watch when attended in person at our facility in San Carlos but live streaming and viewing recorded seminars are exclusively available to members. Click here or contact an SCFC member service rep at (650) 946-1700 for more information about online access to our web library of over 500 recorded safety seminars and live-streamed content.