This seminar will only be available for online viewing.

Click here to learn more about online viewing

 

You may also be interested in a similar seminar “Reaching For The Sky, How I Became an Airline Pilot”, available in our Members Only Seminar Archive which is accessible by clicking the link here.

 

The first step for a career in the airlines is often obtaining a private pilot certificate, followed by years of additional certificates and ratings. At every step, a pilot’s aviation knowledge, flight skills, and risk management abilities are deepened and strengthened. Pilots who someday want to fly with the airlines would benefit from an awareness of how each safety procedure, each checklist, each emergency maneuver, and every flight gives them the chance to build the foundation for a safe career as an Air Transport Pilot.

Toward that goal, San Carlos Flight Center has invited back Josephine Pham Gia, a former SCFC pilot who now flies as an airline pilot, to share her story and to highlight the key takeaways from her Private Pilot Training that still influence her today. From topics such as skillful airplane handling and systems knowledge, but also an understanding of how single-pilot resource management sets the foundation for commercial crew resource management. There is something here every pilot can relate to.

It’s always information to hear from another pilot – to share in their decision-making and learn from their missteps. Josephine will share how she learned from mistakes in her Private training to position herself as a safer, more competent pilot ultimately landing a job with an airline. For those who want to build good habits either for your day-to-day flying or for a career as an airline pilot, we hope her path can inspire you.

 

 

Josephine Pham Gia is a CFI, CFII, and MEI and soon to be Airline Pilot for Mesa Airlines. Josephine has worked in the aviation industry since 2013 first starting as a flight attendant, soon to take her first discovery flight in 2017, and receive her Private Pilot Certificate in 2019.  As an active student in the United Aviate Program she quickly progressed to obtain her ratings, build time, and land a job with one of the nations largest regional airline carriers.

 

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.

This seminar will only be available for online viewing.

Click here to learn more about online viewing

 

You may also be interested in the continued next seminar of our Radio Communications series, accessible by clicking the link here.

 

Flying through SF Bay Area airspace requires a high degree of situational awareness and sophisticated radio skills. And yet, radio communication is rarely taught as a specific subject during private pilot training. Usually, new pilots just absorb what they hear on the frequency around them, both good and bad. Although some radio techniques are covered in ground school, rarely do student pilots get the time devoted to demystifying this often-confusing subject.

San Carlos Flight Center invites Chief Pilot Herb Patten and pilot Dan Dyer to bridge the communication gap, help newer pilots understand the structure of radio and how to improve their own.  The presentation will begin with a review of radio communication phraseology and use.  What part is structured?  What part is unstructured?  What words are good official phraseology, and what words are considered jargon, slang, or poor grammar?

If you are new to radio communication or just want a great review to fill gaps in your pilot education, please join us for this unique opportunity.

 

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.

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 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 of over 400 recorded safety seminars.

This seminar will only be available for online viewing.

Click here to learn more about online viewing

 

You may also be interested in similar presentations by Captain Ben Taber such as his in-depth Radio Communications seminar “You’re Not the Only Pilot in the Sky” available in the Members Only Seminar Archive or by clicking here.

 

It is impossible to learn the answer to every situation while you are a student pilot. Most of a pilot’s learning happens after becoming a private pilot, and continues with every flight. Even after flying for so many years, pilot’s will encounter some interesting and unexpected situations that they never experienced before.

With over 20 years of flying as a charter pilot, Capt. Ben Taber has had numerous unforgettable moments in the cockpit. In this seminar, he will discuss his memorable times as a charter pilot, often when something did not go as planned and he was forced to adapt to a situation.

If you have ever wondered about the daily experiences professional pilots face, this is ought to seek your interest.

 

Capt. Bennett Taber is a check airman and training captain with over 20 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.

 

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 of over 400 recorded safety seminars.

This seminar will only be available for online viewing.

Click here to learn more about online viewing

 

You may also be interested in our Maintenance Seminar Series available in the Members Only Seminar Archive, click here.

 

Is this tiny nick on the propeller an airworthiness item? How perfect does the paint need to be to keep the propeller balanced? If my propeller isn’t completely broken, do I still need to send it to the shop? San Carlos Flight Center has invited Samantha Bloodhart of Sullivan Propellers for an enlightening and educational presentation to promote awareness of safety related propeller and propeller governor issues.

Sam will review basic propeller knowledge for pilots, including design differences between the major manufacturers, fixed pitch vs. constant speed operation, realistic evaluation of propeller condition before flight, and the inherent dangers of deferring propeller (or any other aircraft) maintenance. She will discuss some of the common propeller Airworthiness Directives that are owner-operator responsibility (not just mechanics). Finally, she will explain the differences between overhaul, dynamic balancing, and other major types of propeller/governor service.  This is all supported with numerous photos and years of anecdotes (some amusing and some amazing).

Propellers are an essential part of flight, and pilots should gain a better understanding about them. If you want to gain more knowledge about what keeps you flying, we encourage all pilots to attend.

 

Samantha Bloodhart moved to the Bay Area in 1994 from Ohio to open Sullivan Propeller Specialists with her partner Brian Sullivan. Sullivan Propeller has been in business in Hayward since we opened, now 23 years. She is a licensed FAA Repairman. Currently she is the voice of Sullivan Propeller – handling most of the administrative tasks as well as front-line on customer service. Samantha is also the primary administrator for our Repair Station and handles all the FAA requirements/compliance issues as such. Bloodhart founded Sullivan Propeller in 1994, along with Brian Sullivan.

 

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 of over 400 recorded safety seminars.

Left Turning Tendencies

This seminar will only be available for online viewing.

Click here to learn more about online viewing

 

You may also be interested in our “Ground School Refresher: Aerodynamics” to further your understanding of complex aerodynamic concepts. This seminar is viewable in our Members Only Seminar Archive by clicking the link here.

 

This phrase left turning tendencies means nothing to most people, but it soon means a lot to new student pilots who find that the plane tries to nudge itself off the left side of the runway on a high-power takeoff roll. Private pilots must know at least four left turning tendencies and be able to talk about them during their checkride. However, few pilots actually know what is happening behind the few memorized rote phrases. Interestingly, most newly certificated flight instructors get at least two of these wrong – the result of pilot urban legend coming down from generations of flight instructors passed.

To clear this up, San Carlos Flight Center welcomes back former Chief Pilot Dan Dyer, who covers this topic in CFI new hire training and as part of SCFC’s CFI Finishing School. Dan will cover all FIVE times the nose of the aircraft may yaw suddenly, requiring pilot action to stabilize. He will also show that most of these aerodynamic forces work IN BOTH DIRECTIONS, and explain their origins and in which flight conditions each is strongest. Finally, he’ll explain the two most commonly missed left-turning tendency questions from CFI hiring interviews.

Every single engine, propeller driven pilot will need to account for these tendencies with rudder control, regardless of how deep their understanding of the aerodynamic principles involved are. If you would like to push your knowledge of the FIVE left turning tendancies, tune in to this presentation.

 

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 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 of over 400 recorded safety seminars.

Electronic Logbooks

This seminar will only be available for online viewing.

Click here to learn more about online viewing

 

You may also be interested in a few seminars that are related to this topic such as our wide array of ForeFlight tutorials. These can be accessed by going to the Members Only Seminar Archive and searching “ForeFlight” or by clicking here for an example.

 

Logging flights can be a burden, even more so when calculating totals while preparing for a checkride, renewing your insurance, or applying for a new job. As technology evolves, so do our logbooks. Pilot logbooks in electronic format are easy to use, have every applicable field, and ensure the highest level of neatness and accuracy all with no page limits.

San Carlos Flight Center invites Private Pilot Ritwik Ummalaneni and Airline Pilot and CFI, Daniel Stellini as they give us a rundown of properly logging pilot time and experience, as well as how to use two of the most popular electronic logbook applications, LogTen and ForeFlight. As ForeFlight is becoming the preferred electronic flight bag (EFB) application for General Aviation pilots, many are tapping into its robust pilot logbook capability to supplement (or altogether replace) their paper logbook. In this seminar, get an overview of logging requirements such as required entires, along with comparing the differences between the paper and electronic logbooks.

If you have ever considered logging your flights electronically, this is the seminar for you.

 

Daniel Stellini is a CFII and a United Airlines pilot with extensive experience from Cessnas to Boeing 777’s. He is committed to developing safe and competent pilots, and is a Gold Seal Flight Instructor. In his freetime, he likes playing music, and teaching others how to become better pilots.

Ritwik Ummaleaneni is a Private Pilot working on his instrument rating. He completed all of his training at SCFC with Daniel, and is looking forward to presenting with him.

 

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 of over 400 recorded safety seminars.

Destination Las Vegas

This seminar will only be available for online viewing.

Click here to learn more about online viewing

 

Las Vegas is a popular destination among many travelers, so maybe it’s time you considered flying there yourself. Vegas is a perfect example of cross-country challenge for California pilots. With good flight planning, you and your passengers can make this trip safely despite busy airspace and mountains surrounding the valley airports.

San Carlos Flight Center brings together SCFC Chief Pilot Herb Patten and pilot Alessandro Franco to discuss some of their recent flights into Las Vegas, and to share with us what pilots flying can expect when flying into into Harry Reid International Airport (LAS), Henderson (HND), and North Las Vegas (VGT). In this seminar, they will summarize the flight planning between the San Francisco Bay Area and Vegas and point out many special considerations along the way. With high elevations, terrain, and extreme temperatures, pilots should operate carefully into this highly dense traffic area. Dozens of helicopters, hundreds of jets, and military traffic dominate the airspace around Las Vegas and as pilots, it’s important to be aware of them. Their presentation will summarize these operations, how to navigate airspace, and tips on what to do after you land.

If you ever considered venturing to Las Vegas, this will be an informative head start to your flight planning. We hope you can join us.

 

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.

Alessandro Franco is a pilot and the Owner of the San Carlos Flight Center. Alessandro is the lead of all Flight Center operations, activities, and relations.

 

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 of over 400 recorded safety seminars.

This seminar will only be available for online viewing.

Click here to learn more about online viewing

 

The joy of airplane ownership is flying your beloved airplane, however, that airplane needs to be maintained. You probably are an expert pilot but how much do you know about maintaining your aircraft? Maintenance can be confusing, such as how often should you be getting an oil change? What routine maintenance should you have done? What should you be looking for as your engine approaches TBO?

San Carlos Flight Center invites Director of Maintenance Suzie Garcia-Duer to talk about aircraft maintenance for owners. In this seminar, she will highlight how aircraft owners should approach maintenance on their aircraft, and review common maintenance that should be considered. Suzie will share the approach that all aircraft owners should have towards maintenance as having a properly maintained airplane starts with an informed owner.

If you are an aircraft owner or considering ownership, join us to ask questions, and be prepared with the maintenance journey that lays ahead in aircraft ownership.

 

Suzie Garcia Duer started her aviation career in College of Alameda’s aviation maintenance technology program in 2017. After graduation and going through a battery of tests to get her A&P, she found her first aviation job: repairing and restoring fabric aircraft. From this first experience, Suzie developed a high standard for herself and the work she does. She continued her education by obtaining her Bachelor’s Degree in Aviation Maintenance Management from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale in 2022. Her strong work ethic, painful attention to detail and obsessive pursuit of knowledge and experience have allowed her to move from A&P to IA and now to the Director of Maintenance 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 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.

 

This seminar will only be available for online viewing.

Click here to learn more about online viewing

 

Most of us have seen helicopters flying in the sky, but how many of us know how they work? While airplanes and helicopters share the skies, rotary aircraft still remain something of a mystery to fixed-wing pilots. Without a deeper understanding, helicopters seem to defy many common characteristics known to fixed-wing pilots.

San Carlos Flight Center invites commercial and rotorcraft pilot Michael Dutton to share more about helicopters. In this seminar we’ll take a high-level look into how a helicopter flies and the controls involved with their flight. Additionally, he will provide an overview of the rotorcraft certificate, motivation for pursuing the certificate, summary of the requirements, and expected timeline. Lastly, Michael will answer common questions such as, what is autorotation? And how do helicopters handle differently than aircraft? There are many differences between helicopters and airplanes that fixed-wing pilots likely do not understand. These questions and many more will be answered during this seminar.

If you were ever curious in learning more about these unique machines, join us for this seminar.

 

Michael Dutton is a CFI, and CFII in fixed wing with private pilot privileges in helicopters. He’s been flying while working at the San Carlos airport for over seven years, first working for the Flight Center before moving on to Airport Operations. In his off-days, he’s still at the airport as he continues flying and advancing his flying skills.

 

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 of over 400 recorded safety seminars.

 

Hazards of Frost and icing

This seminar will only be available for online viewing.

Click here to learn more about online viewing

 

Flying along, you might think it’s a beautiful crisp winter day until suddenly you take a peek at the beautiful scenery below and see frost on your wingtip.  What are you going to do next?  Do you know all the hazards of frost and icing?

San Carlos Flight Center invites Dave Kramer, an experienced instrument rated pilot, and avid weather specialist to talk about how frost and icing can affect an airplane. With atmospheric moisture, comes the hazards of icing.  Other than a thunderstorm, nothing else is so detrimental to flight.  California, because of it’s warmer winters, is notorious for icing. How can we predict it and where can we find it? In this seminar, anyone will be able to gain a better understanding of how frost and ice forms, how to avoid it, and what to do if you get it.

Join Dave as he discusses these important topics from a pilot’s viewpoint.  If you are an aspiring IFR pilot or a seasoned Instrument rated pro, you won’t want to miss this seminar.

 

Dave Kramer MD, an ophthalmologist for over 30 years, 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 1100 hours of which over 500 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 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 of over 400 recorded safety seminars.