In This Issue
SCFC News
Safety
Community
Adventure
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Welcome New Members
Christine Aquino
Beyza Bozbey
Ritz Campbell
Kevin Cardenas
Alan Cima
Mike Cunningham
Arturs Cvetkovs
Ryan Ford
Eric Garcia
Hachim Hamidi
Julie Hoegi
Robert Hueber
Jim Hunt
Eric Klein
Xianmin Kwauk
William Layton
Martin Mijangos
Arun Shastry
Brian Shiffler
Leo Sigal
John Szwed
Aidan Troiano
Nino Tugade
Member Achievements
Alex Rossie
Instrument Rating
Soham Aggarwal
First Solo
CFI Collin Korey
Mikey O'Sullivan
Private Pilot
CFI Daniel Sanchez Ruiz
Nathaniel Moody
First Solo
CFI Stephen Heesacker
Michael Fan
Private Pilot
CFI Stephen Heesacker
Sebastian Schweers
Private Pilot
CFI Lukasz Zoromski
Vladyslav Stepanov
First Solo
CFI Lukasz Zoromski
J.R. Refuerzo
Private Pilot
CFI Daniel Stellini
Matthew Birdsell
First Solo
CFI Kyle Smathers
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A fun monthly
knowledge test.
Editor: Herb Patten
1. When is KSQL's tower open?
a) 6:00am to 8:30pm
b) 1500z to 0500z
c) 7am to 9pm local
2. How can you get fuel at SQL?
a) Self service island
b) Squawk 7700
c) Contact Rabbit Aviation any day from 7am to 8pm
3. San Carlos has a standard traffic pattern defined for airplanes.
a) True
b) False
(answers at the bottom)
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Upcoming SCFC Events and Safety Seminars |
Nov 3 (Wed) 7pm
Nov 6 (Sat) 12pm
Nov 10 (Wed) 7pm
Nov 13 (Sat) 12pm
Nov 17 (Wed) 7pm
Nov 27 (Sat) 12pm
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Upcoming
Events & Trips
Airport of the Month
FOG Lunch at Half Moon Bay
FMF: Livermore
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Member Rates
C182 - TAA
N1483L - $238/hr
N182EE - $234/hr
C182 - Analog
N9894E - $195/hr
C172S - G1000
N63251 - $180/hr
N6198N - $180/hr
N646DW - $172/hr
C172S
N106RA - $165/hr
N137ME - $165/hr
N21591 - $165/hr
N236SP - $165/hr
N410BS - $165/hr
N458SP - $165/hr
C172R
N2370F - $154/hr
C152
N111RK - $125/hr
N530CA - $129/hr
N5369H - $121/hr
C210
N210VV - $350/hr
Piper Archer
N6848J - $163/hr
Piper Saratoga
N349MA - $315/hr
Baron
N169SP - $350/hr
Simulators
AATD G1000 - $75/hr
BATD GNS-430W - $40/hr
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Contact Us
Front Desk
(650) 946-1700
SCFC Maintenance
(650) 946-1701
Email Us
Club Address
795 Skyway Rd, Suite A
San Carlos, CA 94070
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Pop Quiz Answers
1. b and c
2. c
3. b, (800' traffic pattern with right traffic for 30, left traffic for 12)
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SCFC and Herb Patten Win AOPA Awards |
Last month, San Carlos Flight Center was awarded a Distinguished Flight School award from the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA). This award is a result of the feedback AOPA received from their summer Flight Training Experience Survey and is awarded to schools with high marks on their quality of instruction and atmosphere. SCFC was one of four schools in the western region of the country that received this notable distinction. |
SCFC's Chief Pilot also was recognized as designated a Distinguished Flight Instructor. Herb is one of fifteen CFIs in the Western Region who received the award.
Please join me in congratulating Herb and the rest of the Flight Center staff for creating such a great community for our members to thrive in. I also want to thank our members for their support. Without you, we wouldn't be here. Thank you.
- Alessandro Franco, Owner
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Office Closure Dates for Year End |
We head into the holiday season this month. Please take note the days the office and maintenance department will be closed or closing early for the remainder of the year.
If you are planning to fly on a day we're closed, please make your reservation ahead of time so we can put the keys into the overnight lockbox for your flight. And a reminder to email info@sancarlosflight.com with photos of the hobbs and tach time before and after your flight. Thank you and happy holidays.
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Tracking BasicMed through FSP |
It has been a few years since the FAA introduced BasicMed, an alternative to Class 3 medicals for Private Pilots. Some SCFC members are using BasicMed in lieu of a part 67 Medical Certificate. |
Our scheduling system, FlightSchedulePro, keeps track of pilot currency including medical. When it comes to BasicMed, our members need to provide us with a couple of details. We need to have both the date of the medical exam as well as the date of the medical education course. Both of these are tracked in Flight Schedule Pro. Remember that the medical education course is valid only for 24 calendar months, so when you renew this, please notify the Front Desk.
Flight Schedule Pro also needs the expiration date of your Driver’s license. Keep these up-to-date and you won’t have any scheduling issues.
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Brandan Dadoun, FAASTeam Rep of the Year |
Congratulations to SCFC's Safety Seminar Coordinator, Brandan Dadoun, for being selected by the FAA to be Western Region FAASTeam Representative of the Year. The award honors individuals who have promoted, improved, and enhanced flight safety and the aviation environment in some significant way.
Brandan has organized and planned SCFC Safety Seminar program with two events per week, for the last few years. During COVID lockdown, the program was switched to allow all pilots to view live for anyone in the world. Flight Center members can access and view over 400 stored seminar videos in our Seminar Video Archive.
Brandan and the seminar team have been hard at work promoting critical safety topics to thousands of attendees. It takes a lot of effort to keep this program running. Thank you Brandan for all your hard work. Well deserved!
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When Airports Get Busy - 2 Towers? |
With the economy and work slowly going back to pre-pandemic conditions some of us have noticed more traffic on the roads. Also noted is the continuing increase in air traffic. The increased traffic is often most notable at airports. One way that ATC handles increased traffic is to use a second tower frequency. Several airports have published a second tower frequency that is in use when the traffic levels increase. In the SF Bay, area these airports include Concord, Hayward, and Reid-Hillview. When operating at these airports, listen carefully to the ATIS. The ATIS will indicate if the second tower frequency is in use and what portion of the airport it serves.
There are other airports in the area that occasionally use a second tower frequency, however these are not published in the Chart Supplement, such as Livermore.
Remember, next time you are at one of these airports, listen carefully to the ATIS to understand if a second tower frequency is in use and what frequency to use.
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Bay Flight Callsign Pronunciation |
Some San Carlos Tower controllers have recently begun pronouncing SCFC’s Bay Flight callsigns incorrectly.
Per AIM 4-2-4, ICAO callsigns (such as the Bay Flight callsigns) should be pronounced in "group form", with numbers pronounced as "twenty-one" instead of "two one", for example. Some of the newer controllers seem to be struggling with this, and attempts to work with SQL Tower management have been unsuccessful.
Remember, you may hear your callsign pronounced either way at San Carlos, but pilots should respond with their callsign in group form unless explicitly instructed.
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Pilots practice no-flap landings in the event of an electrical failure in a Cessna which prevents the flaps from extending. Another type of flap failure occurs when they won't retract. While not common, this scenario can occur while performing touch and gos or doing a soft/short field takeoff with partial flaps. Doing a go-around is another scenario where we are retracting the flaps.
While there are no warning bells that go off when you move the flap lever and there is no corresponding movement of the flaps, pilots often visually check the flaps to confirm they are retracting. The other way pilots detect a flap issue is when they get a sense that the airplane is not performing like it should, it is not climbing normally or the airspeed is slower than usual.
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With any emergency, the first thing to remember is to fly the airplane. In this case, the best thing to do is to maintain a pitch attitude that won’t cause an aerodynamic stall.
When at a safe altitude, you can assess the situation and attempt to troubleshoot the problem. The most likely problem is some kind of electrical failure. Clearly if the electrical system is not working the flaps won’t either. The other culprit is the switches are part of the flap system. These are referred to as micro switches and sometimes fail. One option is to move the flap switch to the retracted position and then raise it up again. Many times, this resolves the problem.
If the flaps are still stuck, then treat the flaps as inoperable. Do not try to lower them further. Land as soon as practicable and manage the landing based on the fixed flap setting. If partial flaps are set, remember to manage like a normal no-flap or partial flap landing.
One thing to remember is that if your flaps get stuck and you've attempted to raise them, place the lever back to where the flaps are set. This is for the unlikely situation where the flaps may come back to life. If you're 100' above the threshold, having flaps instantly retract on you can lead to a dangerous loss of lift close to the ground.
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FAA Guidance on COVID-19 Booster Shots |
As COVID-19 booster shots become increasingly more common this season, it's important to remember that pilots are prohibited from flying for 48 hours after receiving each dose. Initial COVID-19 vaccinations, as well as booster shots, all fall under this rule. Should you experience any side effects, ground yourself until you feel back to normal.
Thank you for doing your part to help end this pandemic.
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SCFC Member Profile: Sebastian Schweers
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SCFC: Congrats on passing your FAA checkride. What prior pilot certification did you have before joining San Carlos Flight Center?
SS: Thanks! Prior to this license I held a Swiss Flight Crew license, Single Engine Piston. Rated VFR. Essentially the Swiss equivalent of this FAA license. I also held (now lapsed) a Glider Pilot’s license and an ultralight license. I was flying here on a verified foreign-based FAA PPL before that expired and I got my full ticket.
SCFC: What did you find new or different in training for the FAA checkride compared to your prior training?
SS: There were a couple of interesting differences. In Europe, the written test took five hours with about 400 questions. The oral part of the checkride however was less than 30 minutes. We also don’t include night flying at home, Night VFR is a separate rating you can get once you have a license. Since every field in Europe charges a landing fee (details on that in answer 4), unless you just do patterns at your home airport, you WILL park & shutdown the plane, walk to the club house, pay the fee and when there, get a coffee. The concept of doing a long XC and not even getting out is still wild to me.
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SCFC: What flying adventures have you experienced so far in California and the United States?
SS: So many but not enough! I took some friends to Columbia before the pandemic. Went to Santa Monica in a 182. One day, my 4 year-old son read about snow in his bedtime book so the following weekend the whole family flew to Tahoe, played in the parking lot snow for two hours, had sandwiches and flew back. And, so many SF Bay tours.
SCFC: How does your experience of the pilot community in the United States differ from pilot communities you were a part of in other countries?
SS: Flying in Europe is much more based around club culture. The path to professional aviation usually goes through cadet programs, so flying clubs and schools are just that. There is also usually just one club per airfield, that also owns and operates said field. That obviously means you can expect much less in terms of equipment, facilities etc.
Almost all private flying is done on grass. Whereas here we have to go out of our way to find a soft field, I remember specifically planning an XC to an airfield that had an asphalt runway. That said, every touchdown, touch&go or full stop, costs a landing fee. Small-ish fields in Germany charge very little (5-6$ per touchdown) but when you fly into Samedan near St Moritz you’re $50 out per landing. Europe focuses much more on precision on cross-country flights. We also did lots of competitive precision flying, with things like target landing competitions happening at least once per year in each flying club.
Americans also seem a little bit more nonchalant when it comes to engine-out scenarios. I was taught to always, ALWAYS have a forced landing option when below 3,000 ft AGL. Here we fly across the bay at 800… The regional weather patterns in mainland Europe are also somewhat more intricate than here, but that doesn’t make this weather here less challenging.
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SCFC: What advice would you give other foreign pilots who move to the San Francisco Bay Area?
SS: As soon as you get here, just re-start flight training if you see yourself staying long term, especially since US licenses don’t expire.
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Airplane Owners Meeting - UL94 Unleaded Fuel |
On Saturday, November 6 San Carlos Flight Center Owner, Alessandro Franco will lead a discussion on the advantages of operating with UL94 fuel. As the first flight school at San Carlos to implement this new fuel, he has seen the great maintenance benefits across the fleet. In addition to highlighting these benefits, he’ll show the process of obtaining and implementing the STCs in aircraft.
Tune in to this livestreamed FAA Safety Seminar here. Learn about the benefits of how this fuel improved the operations of a flight school, and how this new fuel can benefit you, and your aircraft.
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Airport of the Month - Santa Ynez (KIZA) |
This month’s Airport of the Month is Santa Ynez (IZA). Santa Ynez is located on the backside of the Coast Range behind Santa Barbara and is known for the surrounding valley with numerous vineyards, small shops, and quaint villages.
The towns of Santa Ynez and Solvang are easily accessible with a bike, or many rideshare providers service the area. Solvang has a busy downtown area, and many restaurants can be found along the main boulevard. Solvang has a unique Dutch-themed atmosphere, so keep an eye out for the unique architecture and European flair.
For those looking to spend a longer time in the area, why not visit a local vineyard for wine-tasting? This area is known for its fertile grape-growing conditions, and with the rollback of COVID-era procedures, many of the vineyards are open again for wine tasting.
The airport has self-serve fuel, a pilot lounge, and a great website with lots of resources and helpful information. If you visit Santa Ynez this month, let us know what you think with a PIREP!
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FOG Lunch Paso Robles - Nov 7 (Sun) |
No plans on Sunday, November 7th? Don’t worry, FOG has you covered! Join us at noon at Joe’s One-Niner Diner in Paso Robles (PRB) for a great brunch served right at the airfield.
Joe’s One-Niner Diner is known for its comfort food in the Paso Robles area. Specialties include their Biscuits and Gravy, as well as anything topped with their homemade Ranchero Sauce. Located in the terminal building at the Paso Robles Airport, pilots can park in transient parking or ACI Jet and walk to the restaurant.
Afterward, feel free to visit the Estrella Warbird Museum and the neighboring Woodland Auto Display, which are located on the southeast corner of the field. The air museum has a large collection of military aircraft dating back to the Second World War, and the auto museum is known for its collection of classic racing cars.
When flying in, please remember to use caution around the special use airspace north of the field. ACI Jet has fuel and other services at PRB, should you need them.
Like other FOG events, RSVP, and please indicate if you are able to take passengers, so we can allow student pilots and other aviation community members to participate. We’re looking forward to the event, and hope you are, too!
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Full-Moon Flyers Livermore - Nov 19 (Fri) |
A new restaurant has opened at the Livermore Airport (LVK)! On Friday, November 19, let’s all go and check it out.
" Elevation LVK" is located in the airport building next to transient parking. After parking on the ramp under the tower, walk the short distance to the airport building, where you will find the restaurant. Please plan to be seated by 7:00 PM. With options like fresh fish, steak, pasta, and salads, there are plenty of choices for everyone.
Due to the time change, it will likely be dark by 5pm. The views during the cooler November evenings will be spectacular, and nothing beats the gorgeous fall sunsets. After dinner, you can refresh your night landings at many of the nearby airports, such as Livermore, Hayward, or Oakland on your way home.
Like other FOG events, RSVP, and please indicate if you are able to take passengers, so we can allow student pilots and other aviation community members to participate. As this is a new restaurant, it may be a popular event, so please book your plane early. Hope to see you there!
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