SCFC Holiday Party and Member Appreciation Night - Dec 20 (Wed) 7pm

Join us at the SCFC Club house on Wednesday, December 20th for our annual Holiday Party and Member Appreciation Night. We’ll eat, drink, and revel together and SCFC owner Alessandro Franco will share plans for how the club will grow and evolve to better serve our pilot community. 

Learn about new additions to the fleet, big updates with our maintenance team, and our long-term plans for facilities when our building gets remodeled. We’ll also introduce changes to our safety seminar program, including our answer to the FAA WINGS program. Plan for about 20 minutes of presentation on 2024 plans with a lot of fun times before and after. Wear festive holiday attire, and come ready to celebrate the season.

If you haven’t yet met the rest of the Flight Center team, or you can’t remember what is the name of the pilot you’ve nodded “hello” to in the hallways, this is your time to meet and greet the extended SCFC community, and start the new year off right. Flight Center members should join us to learn the most up-to-date information about the club. All are welcome. If you are a pilot that flies somewhere else, or are lucky enough to own your own plane, we invite you to join us anyway to find out ways the Flight Center can be a part of your flying.

Please RSVP here so we can be sure to have enough food and drinks.

Young Aviators Workshop - Jan 6 (Sat)

On Saturday January 6th, SCFC is hosting a one-day aviation event for high school students who are interested in finding our more about aviation. The Young Aviators Workshop (YAW) builds on a program established years ago at San Carlos Flight Center to give young people a way to get involved in aviation before they are old enough to begin flight training.

The workshop is a great way to participate in some fun and educational activities while socializing with their peers. The activities include a briefing on navigation charts used by pilots, discussions about the steps of becoming a pilot and career options, as well as a look under the cowling of an airplane to learn about aircraft engines and systems.

This is a great first step for high school students that someday plan to apply for the Upwind Summer Scholarship Program. If you are interested, sign up online here. The program begins at 9:00 am and goes until 1:00 pm. Lunch is provided.

Call for Donated Auction items to Upwind

We are beginning to gather donated items to use in the Upwind silent auction in March. To kick off the donations, SQL Airport Administration has donated three of the blue incandescent taxiway lights that used to line the airport taxiways to be auction off for the Upwind Foundation. The lights were removed during the recent renovation of the runway and adjacent areas and replaced with brighter LED lights.

The first of the three lights will be auctioned off in December, with the winning big selected on December 31. The remaining two taxiway lights will be auctioned at the Upwind Wine & Cheese Party fundraising event in March 2024.

All proceeds go to the non-profit Upwind Foundation which promotes aviation through its annual Upwind Summer Scholarship Program. To date, Upwind has provided free flight training to 42 high school students over its 11 year history.

Holiday Hours

San Carlos Flight Center offices will be closes December 24 (Sun) through December 26 (Tue) and again December 31 and January 1. Pilots can still fly when the office is closed, but be sure you have your reservation in FSP before we close in the days before, so we can be sure to have the keys placed outside in the night lockbox.

Rabbit fuel services at the airport will be according to the following schedule:

Dec 24 (Sun): 0800-1700

Dec 25 (Mon): minimum staff available from 0800-1700

Dec 26 (Tue): normal hours of operation resume 0700-2000

Dec 31 (Sun): 0800-1700

Jan 1 (Mon): minimum staff available from 0800-1700

Jan 2 (Tue); normal hours of operation resume 0700-2000

Tips for Cold Weather Safety

Although the San Francisco Bay Area does not get many extremely cold days, you have probably noticed that it is definitely cooler now. Time to bring out the thicker jacket and wear gloves when preflighting. The cooler temperatures improve airplane performance which you will notice with faster ground acceleration and a better climb rate on takeoffs. 

Colder temperatures also mean the oil temperature after engine start will often remain below the green arc for longer than usual, which can cause concern for new pilots. In general, it is not necessary to wait for the oil temperature to rise into the green band before run-up or takeoff. For more details on the limits of airplane oil temperatures, you should check the Amplified Procedures section (i.e., Chapter 4) of your airplane's POH.

With colder temperatures in the morning, we occasionally experience frost on the airplane surfaces. Frost is hazardous and reduces lift and has been attributed to takeoff accidents. If you encounter frost on preflight, do not try to scrape it off, as you may damage the aircraft’s surfaces. Instead, point the rudder of the aircraft into the sun, and allow the warming air to melt the frost.

Starting the Engine

Has your engine start procedure become too rote? Procedures we do repeatedly become automatic, and stepping through them starts to become ritual with little or no thought. What is the harm of this? What could go wrong on start?

The major risk of over-priming is fire, which can occur when fuel burns outside of the cylinders. If there is excess fuel due to over-priming, the ignition in the cylinder doesn’t burn all the fuel and the fuel continues to burn as the cylinder enters the exhaust stroke causing flames to move through the exhaust system. This could mushroom into a bigger fire. If you haven’t reviewed the emergency procedure for engine fire on start, open your POH to section three and re-read those steps. 

How to avoid? Pay attention. In particular, follow the pre-start procedure listed in the SCFC checklist. Carefully set both the throttle and mixture to the proper position. When the fuel pump is on, your eyes should be on the fuel flow watching to confirm that fuel has been primed. When the fuel flow stabilizes, the prime is complete. As soon as this occurs, mixture should be brought promptly to idle/cutoff and the fuel pump turned off. If there is no fuel flow after 3-5 seconds – stop. Assess the situation to determine why. Is the mixture not set properly? Is the throttle set properly? Is the fuel cutoff valve full in?

Another thing to avoid is advancing the mixture prior to when the engine “catches”. Prematurely moving the mixture control to rich or pumping the mixture control will exacerbate the problem.

The next time you do the engine start procedure, take a second to concentrate and check that you are following the correct procedure. For further assistance, reach out to the Chief Pilot Office and we would be happy to review the proper start and emergency procedures with you.

IFR Checkride Stories - Dec 13 (Wed)

Pursuing the instrument rating can be extremely challenging. It takes lots of training, studying, and commitment from the student and their instructor to master all the necessary skills and build the confidence to fly under IFR. What are some successful approaches to tackling this rating? What should you expect during the training and practical test?

San Carlos Flight Center invites newly instrument-rated pilots Erik Firnhaber and Ritwik Ummaleni to highlight their experiences pursuing the instrument rating. They will provide an overview of their training, the various tools, and resources they used to prepare, and also provide an insight into the instrument checkride and Airman Certification Standards 

If you are an aspiring instrument pilot or a veteran aviator, sign up here to hear about what to expect during the and how to pass this checkride.

SCFC Member Profile: Skylar Litz

SCFC: How long did you think about flight training before you finally decided to begin?

SL: I started thinking about flight training a few months before I moved to the bay, then had my discovery flight around a month after settling in.

SCFC: The bulk of pre-solo flight training is on basic aircraft control and stability. What things came easily to you, and what tasks did you find more challenging?

SL: The basics like turns, climbs, and descents took a bit of getting used to but generally came pretty easily to me.

On the other hand, it took me a long time to get the hang of takeoffs. There's a lot going on and a lot to pay attention to, but of all stages of flight to practice over and over again takeoffs are one of the most important. It was definitely worth putting in the time in to get them right and feel confident about the process. Also shoutout to Ed for being super patient and helpful throughout our lessons, both for takeoffs and everything else!

SCFC: Most pilots have to develop a more detailed awareness of risks and risk management to stay safe in the air. How has becoming a pilot affected your approach to other aspects of your life?

SL: I definitely pay a lot more attention to my car indicators! I had never once glanced at the oil temperature gauge but now find myself checking it every time I drive (thankfully no problems discovered yet!).

SCFC: People fly for many different reasons - the view, the challenge, the sense of speed, etc. What aspect of being a pilot holds the most interest for you?

SL: I love the view from the air. My favorite lessons have been doing pattern work at Hayward or Oakland– seeing downtown SF in the background while you're touching down is so cool!

SCFC: Who will your first passengers be and what fun destinations do you have in mind?

SL: I'll definitely take friends in the air for some bay tours first! Longer term I would love to do a weekend trip to Los Angeles or Lake Tahoe.

Upwind Foundation Now Accepting Scholarship Applications

The country's best flight training scholarship program for young pilots is beginning its 12th year of operation and applications are now available.

Each year, the pilots of San Carlos Airport come together in support of the Upwind Foundation, and their mission of providing 9-week summer flight training programs to local area high school students. Applicants are typically in their junior year of school when they apply to the Upwind Summer Scholarship Program. All interested students are encouraged to download the application from the Upwind website at www.upwindscholarship.com.

Applicants must complete essays and a video that conveys their interest in aviation, their ability to succeed in the program, and discuss the difference the scholarship program will make in their journey to become a pilot. For more information, go to the Upwind website, or plan to attend the virtual Upwind Scholarship Information Session to be held on Saturday, January 27th at 3:00 PM.

Scholarship applications must be submitted by February 16, 2023.

FOG Lunch - Willos - Dec 10 (Sun)

This month join us on our FOG Lunch as we fly up to Willows-Glenn Airport (WLW). Enjoy a scenic flight up the valley before we dine at Nancy’s Airport Cafe. At decent prices, Nancy’s offers a wide variety of salads, burgers, and sandwiches.

Located about 120 miles north of SQL, just past Sacramento, this is a great opportunity for any pilots looking to build up some cross country time.

Once you get to Vacaville, follow the I-5 for a straight shot up to WLW. It is also a great chance to squeeze in a Bay Tour before or after lunch.

Please plan to arrive at Willows by 12 noon. Nancy’s Airport Cafe is located right on the airport.

RSVP here to save your spot! See you there!

Full-Moon Flyers - Livermore - Dec 26 (Tu)

Join us for our monthly Full Moon Flyers dinner at Livermore! Why get caught in traffic on 580 when you can make the quick hop over the hills into Livermore. After landing, we will be enjoying dinner at Beeb's Sports Bar & Grill located just outside the airport.

You can even bring your friends and family for a Bay Tour at night! After dinner, pilots can also head over to Hayward or Oakland airports to maintain or renew their night currency. IFR student pilots can even shoot an ILS practice approach into LVK. 

Please plan to have your aircraft secured and meet at Beeb's by 7PM.

Remember to RSVP here so we can get an accurate headcount. See you there!