San Carlos Flight Center Events

Time for everybody’s favorite radio game show: Candid Radio. For this event, we tape airport radio communications at one selected airport over the course of a few days, and play it back at an evening Safety Seminar. Have you ever wondered what you sound like on the radio? You may be the next voice you hear at the seminar. Our ongoing goal is to improve pilot radio communications to increase safety and better share the limited radio frequency resource. For our Candid Radio sessions, we select and identify the best and the worst radio calls heard at the airport and talk as a group about how the pilot could have done it differently. Confusing or missing readbacks? Missed radio calls? Unfamiliar with the airspace? All this and more make up the fun and educational group debriefing that is Candid Radio. Let’s face it, radio communication is often absorbed and not really taught. Too often pilots say things they heard others say, regardless of whether it is standard, informative, or even safe. FAA pilot training handbooks are thin on radio specifics and guidelines and changes to what makes up standard procedures occur constantly. What’s a pilot to do? How can you tighten up and improve your radio calls so that you sound less like Amateur Hour Amos and more like Clean Competent Carmine? Would you rather bring the safety, professionalism, and elegance of an Air Force One pilot, or the hick goofball chatter of a regional jet jockey? Join us for Candid Radio: SQL Edition and we’ll give you plenty of examples to help you improve your radio calls. This event qualifies for FAA Wings credit, click here to register. Any questions, contact us at (650) 946-1700 or info@sancarlosflight.com. San Carlos Flight Center is committed to promoting safety in general aviation through our evening safety seminar programs. For more information about this and any of our weekly seminars, please visit http://sancarlosflight.com/activities-and-events.

All hail the DME Arc!  Although increasingly rare, the DME Arc represents either a challenge or a situational awareness nightmare, depending on your training and how long since you’ve flown one.  This month, we’re combining a DME Arc approach with a localizer back course approach and watching the sparks fly. On Saturday, May 18th presenter Brian Eliot will analyze the Medford, OR (KMFR) LOC/DME BC-B approach.  As with all our approach plate analyses, he will focus on what is unique or challenging about the approach, along with potential gotchas.  As a group, we’ll discuss the challenge of tracking a DME Arc into the Intermediate Fix while remembering to use back course navigation so that you correctly interpret the CDI needle.  This is a fun approach. Grab a bag lunch, stop at In-N-Out, or just listen and enjoy the discussion.  We hope you can join us! Any questions, please contact us at at (650) 946-1700 or info@sancarlosflight.com. This event qualifies for FAA Wings credit, click here to register. San Carlos Flight Center is committed to promoting safety in general aviation through our evening safety seminar programs. Space is limited so please sign up early through the FAA SPANS system. SCFC members may choose to watch the seminar live over the web at home. Contact your SCFC member service rep at (650) 946-1700 to confirm secure online access to any particular seminar.

This installment in our Destination series highlights flying in the Colorado Rockies. Extensive training and planning is necessary to achieve the rewards of sweeping aerial views and successfully tackling those challenging high altitude airports. We will discuss pre-trip training, emergency preparedness, route planning, weather considerations, safe flying through mountain passes, as well as what to do once you reach your destination. This seminar is presented by a team of pilots and CFIs who will soon embark on a five-day trip through the Colorado Rockies. More information will be available about the trip, including how to participate. This event qualifies for FAA Wings credit, click here to register. Any questions, contact us at (650) 946-1700 or info@sancarlosflight.com. San Carlos Flight Center is committed to promoting safety in general aviation through our evening safety seminar programs. Space is limited so please sign up early through the FAA SPANS system. SCFC members may choose to watch the seminar live over the web at home. Contact your SCFC member service rep at (650) 946-1700 to confirm secure online access to any particular seminar.

Pilots hear a wide variety of communication styles on the radio. We develop their own styles based on what we are taught, what we read, and what we hear. Do you know what air traffic controllers really want to hear? San Carlos Flight Center is pleased to welcome Raul (LAST NAME), Air Traffic Control Tower Manager at San Carlos Airport. Raul will lead an interactive discussion about the best ways to make your radio communications more concise, precise, and effective. The air traffic control frequencies in the Bay Area are as congested as the airspace, and Raul’s tips will help us work together to clean up the channels. This event qualifies for FAA Wings credit, click here to register. Any questions, contact us at (650) 946-1700 or info@sancarlosflight.com. San Carlos Flight Center is committed to promoting safety in general aviation through our evening safety seminar programs. Space is limited so please sign up early through the FAA SPANS system. SCFC members may choose to watch the seminar live over the web at home. Contact your SCFC member service rep at (650) 946-1700 to confirm secure online access to any particular seminar.

How do pilots land airplanes? It looks like a very complicated process that takes years of training, which is in part true. But according to Flight Instructor Dan Dyer, the basics of landing are simple to understand, and can be easily learned by anyone. The goal of this workshop will be to explain as simply as possible the mechanics of landing. San Carlos Flight Center regularly holds Right Seat Workshops intended to demystify flight for people that fly often as passengers with other pilots. The more you can understand about what is going on in the cockpit, the more enjoyable the flight will be, and the greater your ability to impact the safety of the flight. Past Right Seat Workshops have covered Radio Communications and Flight Instruments. This workshop, #3 Landing Basics, will cover the landing process and provide participants a solid understanding of what actions the pilot takes to safely land an airplane back onto a runway. Topics include the airport traffic pattern, runway clearances, energy management, airspeed control, crosswind technique, and the use of flaps. Everything will be approached from an introductory perspective making sure that everyone has a solid foundation for understanding the landing process. The session will include ground training only, but will position attendees for taking the next step – a landing flight training session in an actual airplane. The Right Seat Workshop is open to anyone, including very new beginner pilots, but special emphasis will be given to the perspective of a Right Seater, someone who typically rides along in an airplane flown by another pilot. Some passengers are interested in learning enough about Landing Basics to serve as backup pilot for landing in an emergency situation, and this workshop would be great first step. The event will go from 10:00am to 1:00pm. Everyone is invited to attend the SCFC Monthly BBQ following the workshop at 1:00pm in the SCFC hangar. $80 for SCFC Flying Members and Community Members $100 for non-members Please RSVP to reserve a spot in the workshop by emailing info@sancarlosflight.com or by calling (650) 946-1700.

What’s next? You did your private pilot training in a lightweight trainer, like a C152, C172, or Warrior. Perfect for keeping the costs low and learning the basics. But now what? Maybe you’re ready to step up to something that can carry a couple of friends, bags, and enough fuel to fly nonstop to somewhere really fun. If so, you are probably considering something the FAA defines as a “high-performance” airplane – one with 200 hp or more. A little more power, maybe some sexier controls and instruments. From a regulatory standpoint, all you’ll need is flight training and a logbook endorsement for high-performance. From a safety standpoint, a competent pilot will know he or she needs a bit more to have mastery of the next make/model you’ll be learning. In this seminar, flight instructor and air race pilot Justin Phillipson introduces the key areas you will need to safely and smoothly transition to a high performance airplane. Increased torque, a greater need for engine temperature management, weight and loading, flight characteristics, and additional equipment often found in these airplanes. There’s plenty to new things to plan for. With great power, comes great responsibility. Be smart, be safe. Take the next step into a high-performance aircraft the right way, with adequate training and a healthy respect for your new equipment. Any questions, contact us at (650) 946-1700 or info@sancarlosflight.com. San Carlos Flight Center is committed to promoting safety in general aviation through our evening safety seminar programs. Space is limited so please sign up early through the FAA SPANS system. SCFC members may choose to watch the seminar live over the web at home. Contact your SCFC member service rep at (650) 946-1700 to confirm secure online access to any particular seminar.

For many general aviation pilots, Oshkosh, Wisconsin is the ultimate spiritual destination. Each summer, the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) holds its weeklong Airventure gathering, the largest aviation show in the world. Pilots from all walks of life, flying every imaginable flying machine, arrive at Wittman Field, creating the world’s busiest air traffic control tower for one week each summer. As the saying goes, “rock your wings and land on your dot.” This installment in our Destination series highlights the journey to EAA Oshkosh Airventure. SCFC Flight Instructor Bob Leuten, a longtime Airventure attendee having flown into Wittman Field numerous times, will share with us his insights into a pilot’s pilgrimage to Oshkosh. We will discuss route selection to Oshkosh from the SF Bay area, and how long you should expect the trip to take. The route covers some of the most challenging terrain in the lower 48 states, so picking the right way through is important. We will also discuss arrival into Wittman Field, the subject of the very detailed, 32-page NOTAM which goes into effect for the 10 days surrounding the event. With the number of arriving aircraft, safety of flight operations is not to be taken for granted, and pilots should expect to prepare for hours on the new procedures so that they can follow them promptly and safely at the destination. Join us, and bring your own tips on how to make the Oshkosh trip safe and enjoyable for everyone. Any questions, contact us at (650) 946-1700 or info@sancarlosflight.com. San Carlos Flight Center is committed to promoting safety in general aviation through our evening safety seminar programs. Space is limited so please sign up early through the FAA SPANS system. SCFC members may choose to watch the seminar live over the web at home. Contact your SCFC member service rep at (650) 946-1700 to confirm secure online access to any particular seminar.