Destination Mexico
This seminar will only be available for online viewing. IN-PERSON ATTENDANCE WILL NOT BE PERMITTED.**
Click here to learn more about online viewing
| Flying a cross-country trip might seem like the adventure of a lifetime, but how about flying across the Southern border to Mexico? International trips require extensive planning and pose many new educational challenges to pilots.
San Carlos Flight Center has invited TBM owner Tom McGrath to share his experience of flying for your first time to Mexico. Tom devoted many hours of planning, flying, paperwork, and applications for customs clearing before stepping foot in the airplane. In this seminar, Tom will talk about the entry and exit procedures of international flying, provide an overview of the differences in flight rules, and describe some of the unique airport operations he experienced on the trip. Overall, this trip brought a whole new set of challenges, with unusual weather patterns, new ATC procedures, limited options in case of an emergency, and overall added stress. We hope that all pilots can use this information to become comfortable with their own new travel experiences. Whether you plan on flying to Mexico or not, hearing this story from an experienced aviator is a great opportunity to develop a better thought process of how to plan for a complex flight.
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| Tom McGrath is a long-time pilot using his planes for business and pleasure. With over 7500 hours of flight time in Bonanzas and TBMs, his flying has taken him all across the world. He has previously presented at SCFC on numerous occasions and is excited to share his experience with you.
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| 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 2022 as a Distinguished Flight School.
SCFC is committed to promoting safety in general aviation through our regular safety seminars and guest speaker programs. Livestream access is free for everyone, but recorded seminars are available solely to members at a later date. Click here or contact a SCFC member service rep at (650) 946-1700 for more information about online access to our web archive. |
NO SAFETY SEMINAR on October 15
There will be no safety seminar on Saturday, October 15. Please join us for our next seminar on Wednesday, October 19 for Ground School Refresher: Airport Signs and Markings. More information on this seminar is accessible by clicking here.
-Seminar Team
Knowing What You Don’t Know – CFI Edition
This seminar will only be available for online viewing. IN-PERSON ATTENDANCE WILL NOT BE PERMITTED.**
Click here to learn more about online viewing
Please click the link here to learn more about our CFI finishing school.
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| 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
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Local Airport Operations
This seminar will only be available for online viewing. IN-PERSON ATTENDANCE WILL NOT BE PERMITTED.**
Click here to learn more about online viewing
| The Bay Area has many airports for pilots to choose from. Flying to a new airport can bring a new set of challenges and risks, along with new procedures. For student pilots trying to branch out of their home airport, it can be overwhelming to become familiar with local procedures. So, what airport information is crucial to know when operating at a new airport? What specific things do you need to watch out for? What hot spots or other things may be confusing to a student or new pilot?
San Carlos Flight Center invites Chief Pilot Herb Pattern to discuss local procedures including noise abatement, pattern operations, and where to find information for several local Bay Area Airports. Some examples will include PAO, HWD, and LVK. He will review common ATC instructions so you can be familiar with what to expect when operating at these airports. After attending this seminar, students and new pilots will have more confidence in operating safely at local Bay Area airports and understand what to consider when flying to a new airport. We encourage any student pilot to attend, and pilots of higher rating to attend too. Do not miss out on this seminar, learn how to gain confidence, operate safer, and be on your A game flying to new airports.
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| 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 2021, Herb was named a Distinguished Flight Instructor by AOPA.
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| 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 2022 as a Distinguished Flight School.
SCFC is committed to promoting safety in general aviation through our regular safety seminars and guest speaker programs. Livestream access is free for everyone, but recorded seminars are available solely to members at a later date. Click here or contact a SCFC member service rep at (650) 946-1700 for more information about online access to our web archive.
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Radio Communications 4: Class B and C Airspace
This seminar will only be available for online viewing. IN-PERSON ATTENDANCE WILL NOT BE PERMITTED.**
Click here to learn more about online viewing
| Pilots new to the SF Bay area sometimes feel uncomfortable communicating with controllers in busier Class B and C airports. Let’s address that. Let’s talk about radio communications and help each other overcome fears, operate more safely, and smooth the work of Tower and Approach Controllers.
In this seminar, San Carlos Flight Center continues our radio communications series, this time focusing on general aviation operations at Class Bravo and Charlie airports. SFO, OAK, and SJC come with a whole new set of challenges for GA pilots; increased traffic loads operating in the airspace, more frequency congestion, different entrance requirements, and a whole lot more. This seminar can help you to become a more effective communicator within class B and C airspace, and prove to the controllers that you got it under control. You surely won’t want to miss this seminar if you have ever felt uneasy operating within Class B or C airspace. This seminar is guaranteed to make sure that all pilots will feel safer on their next flight into these airports, don’t miss out.
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| 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
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 2021, Herb was named a Distinguished Flight Instructor by AOPA.
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| 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 2022 as a Distinguished Flight School.
SCFC is committed to promoting safety in general aviation through our regular safety seminars and guest speaker programs. Livestream access is free for everyone, but recorded seminars are available solely to members at a later date. Click here or contact a SCFC member service rep at (650) 946-1700 for more information about online access to our web archive. |
GSR: Airport Signs and Markings
This seminar will only be available for online viewing. IN-PERSON ATTENDANCE WILL NOT BE PERMITTED.**
Click here to learn more about online viewing
| 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. |
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| Terry Kelly is a CFI at San Carlos Flight Center, who has a background as a first responder working as a wildland firefighter. Terry’s obsession with flying began during his senior year at the University of Oregon when he took a demo flight and decided that the world of flying is more suitable to him than the boardroom. After college, Terry moved to Dallas to complete his flight training where he learned the intricacies of busy airspace and quick-changing weather. He looks forward to helping others make their flying dreams become a reality in the safest and most enjoyable way possible. | |||
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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 2022 as a Distinguished Flight School. SCFC is committed to promoting safety in general aviation through our regular safety seminars and guest speaker programs. Livestream access is free for everyone, but recorded seminars are available solely to members at a later date. Click here or contact a SCFC member service rep at (650) 946-1700 for more information about online access to our web archive.
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G1000 Idiosyncrasies
This seminar will only be available for online viewing. IN-PERSON ATTENDANCE WILL NOT BE PERMITTED.**
Click here to learn more about online viewing
| The G1000 instrument panel for small aircraft has been certified as a class III EFB (no paper required in the cockpit) for years. Pilots trust the G1000 avionics as a reliable source to deliver information while in-flight; but there are many intricacies that many pilots do not know about. Safety requires a full discussion of some specific choices Garmin made in system design, to prevent encountering something the pilot was preferred for.
San Carlos Flight Center invites King Air Captain and check airman Ben Taber to discuss the idiosyncrasies related to the G1000 avionics. In this seminar, Taber will highlight things that pilots should be aware of while operating planes equipped with these avionics. The G1000 often has airspace lines that aren’t depicted on the MFD, flight plan entry restrictions, invalid weather depictions, no radio altimeters, and countless other complications while operating under IFR. Join us as you learn about these new things that might’ve never appeared to you while flying this aircraft. |
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Capt. Bennett Taber is a check airman and training captain with over 35 years and 18,000 hours of air charter experience throughout the western United States. His first 500 hours of flying were conducted in Alaska. Captain Taber manages flight operations and charter sales for Dreamline Aviation in the San Francisco Bay Area and is a Dreamline Training Captain in Beech King Air aircraft. |
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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 2022 as a Distinguished Flight School. SCFC is committed to promoting safety in general aviation through our regular safety seminars and guest speaker programs. Livestream access is free for everyone, but recorded seminars are available solely to members at a later date. Click here or contact a SCFC member service rep at (650) 946-1700 for more information about online access to our web archive. |
G1000 Idiosyncrasies
| This seminar will only be available for online viewing. IN-PERSON ATTENDANCE WILL NOT BE PERMITTED.**
Click here to learn more about online viewing
The G1000 instrument panel for small aircraft has been certified as a class III EFB (no paper required in the cockpit) for years. Pilots trust the G1000 avionics as a reliable source to deliver information while in flight; but there are many intricacies that many pilots do not know about. Safety requires a full discussion of some specific choices Garmin made in system design, to prevent encountering something the pilot was preferred for. San Carlos Flight Center invites King Air Captain and check airman Ben Taber to discuss the idiosyncrasies related to the G1000 avionics. In this seminar, Taber will highlight things that pilots should be aware of while operating planes equipped with these avionics. The G1000 often has airspace lines that aren’t depicted on the MFD, flight plan entry restrictions, invalid weather depictions, no radio altimeters, and countless other complications while operating under IFR. Join us as you learn about these new things that might’ve never appeared to you while flying this aircraft.
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| Capt. Bennett Taber is a check airman and training captain with over 35 years and 18,000 hours of air charter experience throughout the western United States. His first 500 hours of flying were conducted in Alaska. Captain Taber manages flight operations and charter sales for Dreamline Aviation in the San Francisco Bay Area and is a Dreamline Training Captain in Beech King Air aircraft.
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| 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 2022 as a Distinguished Flight School.
SCFC is committed to promoting safety in general aviation through our regular safety seminars and guest speaker programs. Livestream access is free for everyone, but recorded seminars are available solely to members at a later date. Click here or contact a SCFC member service rep at (650) 946-1700 for more information about online access to our web archive. |
Flying the Bay Tour
This seminar will only be available for online viewing. IN-PERSON ATTENDANCE WILL NOT BE PERMITTED.**
Click here to learn more about online viewing
| Flying in the San Francisco Bay area is spectacular, a real privilege for local pilots. The Pacific Ocean, a dramatic coastline, beautiful hills, and many famous landmarks. As pilots, we are afforded a rare bird’s eye view that we long to share with our friends and family.
So what exactly is a “Bay Tour”? What airspace is present along the Bay Tour, and what new implementations will require pilots to take into account? Join CFI David Agranovich to examine the airspace, explain the “Bay Tour” and how a pilot can accomplish one in the safest, simplest, most enjoyable manner. In this seminar, we’ll review the various overlapping airspaces in the area, the territories for each local ATC facility, and the routings most commonly used by Flight Center pilots and suggested by ATC. You’ll learn what options are available to you even if SQL ATIS has the phrase “San Francisco is not taking surface area transitions.” This is a thorough discussion of the regulations and procedures used in flying a San Francisco Bay Tour through Class B and C airspace. If you are new to the Bay area, want to imagine the different sights you’ll see, or just want to improve your understanding of local airspace customs and procedures, please join us for this popular seminar.
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| David Agranovich is a CFI, and thoroughly enjoys teaching others. He has experience flying all across the Western United States and specializes in mountain flying and operating high-performance aircraft. In his spare time, he works at Facebook leading their efforts to counter foreign interference in elections.
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| 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 2022 as a Distinguished Flight School.
SCFC is committed to promoting safety in general aviation through our regular safety seminars and guest speaker programs. Livestream access is free for everyone, but recorded seminars are available solely to members at a later date. Click here or contact a SCFC member service rep at (650) 946-1700 for more information about online access to our web archive.
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Operating at Non-Towered Airports
This seminar will only be available for online viewing. IN-PERSON ATTENDANCE WILL NOT BE PERMITTED.**
Click here to learn more about online viewing
| The FAA provides guidance for operating at non-towered airports through a limited number of sources. A primary one is Advisory Circular (AC) 90-66B,Non-Towered Airport Flight Operations. Other sources include the AIM and several industry groups such as AOPA. While it may seem like anything goes at a non-towered airport, best practices should be followed.
In this safety seminar, we will review the recommended procedures and best practices while operating at non-towered airports. Including arrival, approach/departure, landing, and ground operations. We will review regulatory requirements, recommended operations, and communications procedures for operating at an airport without a control tower or an airport with a control tower that operates only part time. The presentation will also discuss traffic patterns, communications phraseology, and operational procedures for use by aircraft. So if you are going to lunch at Watsonville, flying to Byron for fuel, doing crosswind landings at Tracy, heading to the Estrella Warbirds Museum at Paso Robles or for any other reason at any other non towered airport, this seminar will be of particular interest to you.
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| 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 2021, Herb was named a Distinguished Flight Instructor by AOPA.
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| 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 2022 as a Distinguished Flight School.
SCFC is committed to promoting safety in general aviation through our regular safety seminars and guest speaker programs. Livestream access is free for everyone, but recorded seminars are available solely to members at a later date. Click here or contact a SCFC member service rep at (650) 946-1700 for more information about online access to our web archive.
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