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.

 

Instrument Flight Rules are highly regimented.  They are designed to keep pilots and passengers safe while flying completely blind through clouds and weather.  Altitudes must be maintained, courses have to be tracked tightly, and radio communication must allow air traffic controllers to maneuver planes around traffic and conflicts.  But what happens when radios fail?

Although it doesn’t happen often, radio communication equipment can be faulty or inoperative mid-flight, even while a pilot is flying IFR in instrument conditions.  For safety, there are very specific rules an instrument pilot must comply with in the event of radio failure, and the rules are far more structured that those for a VFR pilot.  The basic rule is to continue with the flight as previously instructed by air traffic control, but the regulations don’t cover every situation and there can be some gray areas. One local DPE recently commented that 95% of instrument applicants fail to answer questions about lost comm procedures, so many of you are likely confused about it too.

Join SCFC Assistant Chief Pilot and IFR expert Brian Eliot as he presents “Lost Comms in IMC”.  He’ll clarify the IFR lost communication procedures, and specifically discuss the areas most pilots find confusing.  After this seminar, you will find a new comfort in how to handle a lost communication situation even in IMC.

 

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.

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.

 

Running an airport takes a lot of hard work. The airplane owners and pilots of San Carlos Airport are fortunate to have a great team from San Mateo County maintaining and protecting the airport. Issues are addressed quickly, from runway surface issues to refurbishing the hangars, and limiting neighboring construction against flight operations. With an upcoming airport closure between September 11 to October 11 it is important that all pilots be aware of these upcoming updates.

San Carlos Flight Center invites airport managers Gretchen Kelly and Michael Byrne to talk. In this seminar, they will share what pilots need to know about the upcoming runway rehabilitation project and what improvements it will bring. In addition, they will provide an overall operational update and status of the airport. They will end with a summary of San Carlos Airport procedures, such as noise abatement and airspace considerations.

If you fly at San Carlos Airport, this seminar is for you. Tune in to stay informed about this closure and updates that will affect your flying.

 

San Carlos Airport is owned and operated by San Mateo County.  Airport management oversees and supports both county airports, Half Moon Bay and San Carlos, with primary offices at San Carlos. The airport gets better every year, and the management team oversees a great number of development projects to improve service to pilots and for the county.

 

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.

GSR: Weather Services

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.

 

Pilots live or die by the weather we fly in. We fly in a fish tank of air. Understanding whether that air is going to be like the calm, crystal blue waters of the lagoons of Cook’s island or turbulent like an impending Tsunami is part of being a competent pilot. Although weather hasn’t changed since the FAA declared that all weather is a result of heat exchange, weather prediction, forecasting and weather services are constantly evolving.

San Carlos Flight Center invites Chief Pilot Herb Patten to investigate the different types of weather products available to pilots. In this seminar, we will take a look at what’s new on Aviation Weather Center, aka aviationweather.gov. We will explore some recent changes to the prognostic charts, turbulence forecasts as well as some other useful products. We will also explore the replacement for the Area Forecast, the “Graphical Forecast for Aviation,” which offers a wealth of features available for pilots.

Be more weather aware on your next flight, and join us for this safety seminar.

 

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.

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.

 

Every flight involves risk, and we can minimize risk with proper risk management. Coast Guard pilots are experts at understanding all factors of risk. Their daily operations involve strenuous water rescues, disaster response actions, and search and rescue initiatives. These missions require the application of crew resource management, adherence to standardized procedures, and more. So, what can we general aviation pilots learn from them?

Join Coast Guard Air Station San Francisco at San Carlos Flight Center as we delve into the realm of threat and error management through the lens of Coast Guard pilots. In this seminar evaluate all risk variables prior to each flight, while utilizing all available resources. Take this knowledge and apply it in a case study which all pilots can learn from. These insights easily translate into practical takeaways for making improved decisions while in flight and working together as a team.

Tune in to acquire practical insights that directly apply to your daily operations, ultimately contributing to safer skies for every pilot.

 

LCDR Patrick Buckley is a highly skilled Coast Guard Search and Rescue Aviator, graduating from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in 2012 with a Bachelor’s in Business Management. With notable roles aboard the USCGC Cambell, as an Intelligence Officer, and distinguished service at CGAS Savannah, he now serves as Flight Safety Officer at CGAS San Francisco, holding FAA qualifications in Commercial Instrument Fixed/Rotorcraft and Part 107 UAS Operation.

Lieutenant Lance Freeberg commissioned into the United States Army through the ROTC program at the University of Florida in 2013 with a degree in Criminology. He flew the UH-60 Black Hawk in Afghanistan and conducted numerous aeromedical evacuations in support of Operations Freedoms Sentinel and Resolute Support. In 2022, he transferred to the United States Coast Guard and became a MH-65E aviator. He is also an avid GA pilot and owner of a Mooney M20C.

 

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.

 

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?

Join us 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.

 

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.

There will be no safety seminar on Wednesday, August 30. Please consider joining us for our FlyOutGroup event at Harris Ranch instead, refer to our website by clicking here.

We’ll see you for our next safety seminar on Saturday, September 2nd.

-SCFC Seminar Team

Adventures in Crosswinds

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.

 

Do you remember as a student pilot fearing crosswind landings?  Perhaps at some level you still do. Did you find yourself avoiding great airport destinations because of hesitancy around even mild crosswinds?  Were you taught to believe that landing in a crosswind is a different harder technique than a “normal” landing?

Dan Dyer and San Carlos Flight Center, the only flight school on the west coast with a crosswind simulator, is committed to training pilots competence in all landings.  In this seminar, Dyer will take you step by step through all phases of landings with and without crosswinds, so that you approach every landing the same way.  With a bit of practice you will land as easy as stopping your car at a stoplight. It’s part of the flight, no big deal, in fact it will become the best and most fun part of the flight.

Imagine approaching a landing with the same confidence you have with every landing. In fact you now even enjoy the challenge of a crosswind. Don’t miss out on this seminar to be a better 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 2019 as a Distinguished Flight School.

SCFC is committed to promoting safety in general aviation through our regular safety seminars and guest speaker programs. Space is often limited so it is important to sign up early. SCFC members may choose to watch the seminar live over the web at home, or recorded at a later date. Click here or contact a SCFC member service rep at (650) 946-1700 for more information about online access.

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.

 

Each year, EAA holds the world’s most renowned airshow in Oshkosh. This event boasts thousands of unique aircraft, presenters, and new learning experiences. Pilots travel from all over the world for this event, and it’s great to hear what it was like through the lens of a pilot.

San Carlos Flight Center invites CFI David Agranovich who recently flew to EAA AirVenture to talk about his experience. In this seminar he will talk about how he safely and efficiently flew into the “world’s busiest airport” for AirVenture 2023. For many, arriving at Oshkosh is a rite of passage that can only be satisfied by being one of the more than 10,000 aircraft flying in, landing at what becomes the busiest airport in the world. It can be a challenging experience, but after attending this seminar, we are sure that you will feel more confident in your flying abilities. Join us to learn more about the real-world application of cross-country flight planning, decision making, analysis of complex NOTAMS, and how to safely operate amidst thousands of aircraft.

Whether you’re an aviation enthusiast or an aviation novice, if you have wondered what it takes to fly into AirVenture, join us for this seminar.

 

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.

 

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.

 

Risk management is a critical aspect of safe flying. Good pilots should always be looking to identify risks affecting the flight, and find ways to reduce or remove the risk. Risk can never be eliminated, but our goal is to be prepared for every situation. That last line of defense for financial security in aviation is available through aviation insurance. Whether you are a renter pilot, aircraft owner, or commercial operator, having insurance is a good way to protect yourself financially against unfortunate occurrences.

San Carlos Flight Center welcomes Jenna Cooper from Zanette Aviation Insurance to provide an insight into how aviation insurance works to protect you as a pilot. Insurance can often be very complex and overwhelming, but in this seminar they will highlight the various plans, methods, and ways you can assure you will be fully protected in any situation. They will showcase different examples of claims, plans, and also focus on different ways pilots can prevent certain events from happening again.

While every situation is unique, by promoting safety and awareness and being protected through insurance, every pilot and their aircraft can be covered. We encourage all pilots to attend this seminar. This is a general presentation covering the topic broadly, so unfortunately we will not be able to respond to individual questions about specific incidents and coverage.

 

 

Jenna Cooper, originally from Fort Worth, TX,  joined the Zanette Aviation team in 2013. Jenna is a Senior Insurance Broker with Zanette Aviation and manages the Light Aircraft side of the business including Light Aircraft Owners, Non-Owned/Renters Insurance, Small Fleet Rental and instruction, and Part 91 Operations.

 

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.

Getting to Know the DA40NG

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.

 

 

The DA40NG is the latest addition to the Flight Center fleet. It is a sleek, fast, and modern aircraft with the first of its kind, a diesel JET-A powered engine. For pilots who have been so used to classic engine controls such as throttle, propeller, and mixture, the DA40NG simplifies it all with one lever. Who wouldn’t want to fly that?

San Carlos Flight Center is pleased to introduce the DA40NG in this seminar. Join Chief Pilot Herb Patten as he provides an overview of the key differences present in this aircraft compared to others of its class. He’ll explain the various mission profiles the aircraft is capable of, and the associated training and requirements for SCFC pilots.

Join us to learn more about the DA40NG. Pilots of all levels interested in flying a modern, simplified aircraft should attend this presentation.

 

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.