Serco to Hold SQL User Meeting - Oct 10 (Tue) 3pm

Serco, the company that operates the SQL Air Traffic Control Tower under contract with the FAA, will be holding a SQL User Meeting on Tuesday, October 10th at 3:00pm in San Carlos Flight Center office. Pilots who attend the meeting will have a chance to meet newly hired SQL air traffic controllers and discuss SQL tower staffing issues, with Serco management and FAA representatives present.

To ensure space is available for all who want to attend, please RSVP here. This meeting is open to all SQL users and tenants.

Runway Construction Update

The large construction project on SQL's runway is well underway now and the project is scheduled to be completed on-time, by October 11, 2023.

Workers have completed preparation for chemical treatment of native material, completed initial soil treatment, and begun to place aggregate stone base course. Currently, they are removing existing rubber residue from the runway, and have begun to reinstall runway lighting conduits.

AOPA Flight School Survey

Are you willing to share feedback on the Flight Center, your flight instructor, and your overall flight training experience? It's feedback time!

Every year, the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) releases a Flight Training Experience Survey, where pilots and students are encouraged to share their feedback about their flying club and their instructor.

AOPA uses these confidential results to improve its publications, and SCFC uses this feedback to help us improve the club in the future. In addition to voting SCFC for the best flight school, please also review and vote for your favorite instructor with the last 4 digits of their CFI Certificate number.

Edward Abraham (8716), David Agranovich (4260),

Sid Basu (2382), Russell Bowerman (3482),

Michael Dutton (0577), Brian Eliot (8074),

Nathaniel Green (9808), Jeremy Hoffmann (1683),

Terry Kelley (8501), Inkee Kim (1274), Jack O'Leary (6034), Herb Patten (0408), Shelby Rebholtz (3443),

Ryan Sartor (5070), Khizar Shabbir (0287),

Daniel Stellini (8500), Derek Vejby (4704)

Thank you for your time, and take the survey here.

Ground School Classes Start

IFR Ground School's spring session begins this week at San Carlos Flight Center. Whether you have just finished your private pilot certificate and our looking to continue training or you need a refresher, the IFR Ground School is a great way to accomplish your goals. Join CFI Brian Eliot for this 12-session course which covers the aeronautical knowledge included in the FAA knowledge test for the airplane instrument rating.

Classes begin tomorrow, October 2nd, and will happen every Monday and Thursday evening through November 9th. The classes start at 6:30pm.

To sign up, or for more information, go to our website here.

More Tips for Hayward Operations

It has been about 3 weeks since the Flight Center has been temporarily operating out of Hayward airport while the airport rehabilitation progress has been going on. During that short period of time, our pilots have been effectively adapting to the new environment. I had a conversation with the Hayward tower controllers to get feedback on our operations. Here are some of their comments.

They said everything has been great so far, but they did have a few tips. They were clear to say we aren’t doing anything wrong but there have been some common observations. The first one is that unlike San Carlos, the taxi instruction is to the runway and not to the runup area. If taxi to runway 28L, you can pull into the runup area, complete the runup and then proceed to hold short of the runway. Call tower when holding short of the runway. Calling the tower while still in the runup are is problematic because the runup area for 28L is not visible from the tower. They much prefer you continue taxing to the runway hold short lines before calling tower.

Another tip is to tell the tower controller your departure request. Even though you have given that to the ground controller, the tower controller doesn’t always get this information. If it is a standard departure, e.g., a left crosswind departure, the ground controller doesn’t pass that along to tower. It is best just to include the departure request when calling tower.

While we will likely be at Hayward only a few more weeks, we can keep these tips in mind for all future flight operations at Hayward.

Fall, Football, and Aviation

Fall is here and it often brings a month of really great flying weather in October but it also signals other changes. Days are becoming shorter and cooler weather is on the way. Fall also brings football. Football season impacts pilots in the Bay Area as we need to pay attention to NOTAM FDC 0/0367.

What is this cryptic NOTAM? Referred to as the sporting events TFR, it prohibits flight within 3,000 AGL in a 3 NM radius over a “qualifying stadium” during a “qualifying event”. It is effective one hour before the scheduled start to one hour after the end of the qualifying event.

What is “qualifying stadium”?

In the SF Bay Area there are a few locations that meet this definition. These are depicted on our VFR charts with this stadium symbol. 

A qualifying event is an MLB, NFL, NCAA Division I Football game or NASCAR Cup, Indy Cup, or Champ Series race. College Football at Stanford, UC Berkeley and San Jose State as well as NFL games at Levi Stadium are events that are subject to these TFRs. The challenging part as keeping track of these games. These events aren’t included in an FAA briefing but thankfully products such as ForeFlight and SkyVector graphically depict these.



Remember that the TFR extends until 1 hour after the event actually ends. 

SCFC Member Profile: Brian Shiffler

SCFC: Congratulations on passing your Commercial Checkride. What prompted you to begin training for a Commercial Certificate?

BS: Since I was really young I had always had an interest in aviation. I knew I wanted to be a pilot as a career and during my first year of college I decided to finally pursue it in addition to my college classes. I got my PPL in August 2022 and haven't stopped training since.

SCFC: What was the hardest part of commercial training? How does the difficult of commercial maneuvers compare with instrument training?

BS:  The hardest part of my commercial training was really nailing everything down to ACS standards. Comparing it to instrument training, I'd say that commercial just needed more time in the cockpit in the weeks leading up to the checkride. During instrument one can practice at home or on sims etc, with commercial you really need to be up in the air in order to practice. I was lucky enough to have Terry as my instructor for private, instrument, as well as commercial. That stability definitely helped me overall as well.

SCFC: You went on the Edwards AFB trip with the Bay Area FlyOutGroup. What impacts do aviation adventures like that trip have in your journey as a pilot?

BS: Aviation trips such as attending the Edwards AFB show with the FOG group are great especially for pilots that are looking to immerse themselves in the local general aviation community. Each one I have been on provides a new experience, as well as opportunities to meet some great people.

SCFC: What destinations are you most interested in flying to in the future?

BS: I'd one day love to fly into Alpine, Wyoming 46U. BUT locally, I am looking forward to flying to Shelter Cove, up the Northern California coast.

SCFC: What is next for your aviation education?

BS: Next, I plan to move directly onto CFI training as well as working to get my commercial multi-engine rating add on. In what order I am still not sure, but those are things I am aiming for next.  

FOG Lunch - Sac Exec - Oct 15 (Sun)

This month, come along with FOG on a lunch trip to Sacramento Executive Airport (SAC).

Inside the airport’s main terminal building lies Aviator’s Restaurant, a neat aviation-themed cafe serving all-day breakfast and lunch fare. The prices are very reasonable, and the seating allows you to view movement on the airport ramp below.

Sacramento is a great cross-country destination, and this flight is a good opportunity to complete the requirements for the next rating you’re working on. Grab your CFI and gain experience flying into a new airport. Instrument students also can utilize a variety of practice approaches into the airport, with an ILS, RNAV, and VOR approach.

Interested in going? Sign up here so we can get a headcount for food, and we’ll see you in Sacramento at 12:00 PM on October 15th!

Full-Moon Flyers - Half Moon Bay - Oct 28 (Sat)

On October 28th, make the quick hop over the Santa Cruz Mountains to Half Moon Bay for dinner. The flight is quick from points around the Bay Area but is much faster and less stressful than navigating the traffic on Highway 92.

This is a perfect flight to take friends and family on, as it affords stunning views of the local coastline, beaches, and mountains in such a short flight.

After landing, taxi to the small ramp on the southeast side of the airport (located southeast of the taxiway that takes you to Runway 30). Secure your aircraft, and we’ll walk through the gate to meet at Mezza Luna at 7 PM, one of the best restaurants in the town. Enjoy an Italian dinner, complete with classic favorites like pasta and freshly-caught seafood.

While October is often a good time to visit Half Moon Bay, low fog and clouds may prevent VFR traffic from participating. If this is the case, we will alter our destination to Livermore. The FOG coordinator will advise those who registered if a change is needed.

Please RSVP here so we can inform the restaurant of our headcount. We hope to see you in Half Moon Bay on October 28th!

2-Day CA Mountain Training Trip

Our 2-Day CA Mountain Training trips though the Sierra Nevadas are becoming very popular, so we are offering another one on the last weekend of the month. We take a small group of planes, all C182s with 1 CFI and 2 pilots per plane. Pilots learn about high elevation airport operations and how to fly safely over mountainous terrain, experience some of California's highest and trickiest airports safely, and see some amazing scenery and stay overnight in South Lake Tahoe.