Meet the Upwind Class of 2026

In March, the Upwind Foundation held a Wine and Cheese fundraiser to raise money for the Upwind Summer Scholarship Program. The program pays for high school students to attend the nine-week Young Aviators Summer Program held every summer by San Carlos Flight Center. The recipients of the 2026 scholarships were announced during this event and introduced to the gathered donors and supporters.

The 2026 scholarship winners are:

• Taylor Hartnett of St. Ignatius College Preparatory
• Derek Shoji of Carlmont High School
• Alin Gonzalez of Woodside High School
• Joshua Gunardi of South San Francisco High School
• Nikita Gromov of Burlingame High School

At the end of the evening the Upwind Silent Auction ended with a frenzy of bidding on the most popular items. The San Carlos aviation community was very generous both in donating some cool items to auction, and bidding for those items to raise money for the Upwind Foundation, raising over $20,000 by the end of the evening.

SCFC's New CFIs

In March, San Carlos Flight Center welcomed three new flight instructors: Darin Bernstein, Noah Houlgin, and Graeson Gamoras.

Darin Bernstein grew up in the Bay Area and was always fascinated by aviation. After a 15-year career helping companies reduce their energy usage, Darin took an introductory flight at SCFC. Afterwards, he completed all of his training at San Carlos Flight Center. Darin is excited to help future pilots with their aviation dreams.

Noah Houlgin grew up in a small farm town in Texas. After graduating high school a year early, Noah started a photography business to fund flight training. While he ran his business, Noah was able to travel around the world which sparked a lasting passion for exploration. He earned his private pilot license in the Bay Area and completed the rest of his training in Texas. Noah is now an instructor in California, excited to help students on their aviation journeys.

Graeson Gamoras grew up in Napa and spent most of his life playing and coaching soccer. Coaching soccer teams sparked his passion for teaching and mentoring others. Graeson also spent time in Alaska to pursue his seaplane rating and experienced a completely different side of aviation. Graeson looks forward to helping anyone pursue their aviation goals, whether they are just getting started or advancing their skills.

To learn more about these new CFIs and the rest of the SCFC team click here.

Changes at San Carlos Airport

Changes are underway at the San Carlos Airport and San Carlos Flight Center. Some of these changes include key card access for many of the airport entrances and the demolition of 795 Skyway Road, the current San Carlos Flight Center building.

On Wednesday, April 1st at 7:00pm, San Carlos Flight Center will have San Carlos Airport Manager, Michael Byrne cover these airport changes. If you are a pilot that operates at San Carlos we recommend you attend this seminar.

Click here to learn more and register for Michael Byrne's seminar

On Saturday, April 4th at 11:30am, San Carlos Flight Center is hosting a goodbye party to 795 Skyway Road. While we are looking forward to the new facility that will replace it, there are many memories associated with this location. Numerous members joined the club for the first time in this building, milestones such as first solo and practical tests have been celebrated in this building, and countless seminars and events have been hosted here. There will be food, drink, snacks, sweets, and a trivia contest and everyone is encouraged to come.

Click here to learn more and register for SCFC's building goodbye party

Safety

Stuck at a Distant Airport? What Do I Do?

As pilots, we all know that sometimes things don't go as planned. Occasionally, we may find ourselves grounded away from San Carlos. If this happens to you, your primary goal is to keep yourself and your passengers safe. If your trip was delayed due to weather, illness, or a personal factor, make sure you take care of yourself first, and then let the Flight Center know of your next course of action. 

If the problem is mechanical, contact the Flight Center for assistance. We may be able to recommend a mechanic at that airfield, or will work with our team to ferry a mechanic from KSQL to your location to make the repairs. You also may elect to stay and wait for repairs to be finished, or you can decide to make your own way home by other means of transportation. 

No matter the situation, reach out to the Front Desk to inform them of your plans. The team is happy to help in any way they can, and they're here to help make your next trip as easy and fun as possible.

When the Answer Back is Silence

A few San Carlos Flight Center pilots encountered the unexpected while in the air. Returning to KSQL and tuning in the ATIS they heard nothing. No recording, no sound, nothing. Initial reaction was that the ATIS was being updated, so they waited a few minutes and still no ATIS. The tower frequency was also suspiciously quiet. The usual call in and position report was made but no response. Now what? Well, it turned out San Carlos Tower was experiencing a power outage.

How does this impact the airport? The airport office does have a generator, but it does not power the equipment in the Tower. With no power, ATIS won’t be available, and the controllers switch to using handheld radios. That means the controllers can hear you, but the signal from their handheld radio may not be strong enough to be heard at a distance.

What should you do? Fall back on your training. Be aware that towers can experience disruptions for several reasons. If there's no response from a tower, treat the airport as non-towered and make position reports as appropriate. Proceed with caution and ensure the runway is clear and safe before landing. Another option is to contact a neighboring tower such as Palo Alto, as they likely will be aware of the situation and can provide information.

SCFC Member Profile: Melanie Vazquez

SCFC: You started your aviation journey as a flight attendant. What inspired your transition towards becoming a pilot?

MV: I knew I wanted to become a pilot early on in my career as a flight attendant. Seeing pilots walk through the concourse at SFO or being in the cockpit inflight was enchanting. As a flight attendant you almost always turn to the right after boarding the aircraft, but for whatever reason I would frequently want to turn left into the cockpit.

SCFC: How did you choose San Carlos Flight Center for flight training? What has been your favorite part about training here?

MV: A friend recommended SCFC to me. They emphasized the community: the programs and group flights. Going through training myself, I couldn't agree more. The instructors, front desk staff, and everyone else both at KSQL and SCFC make training here worth it. You can find a teacher anywhere, but I'll never forget the friends I've made at SCFC.

SCFC: What advice would you give someone who's interested in starting flight training? 

MV: "Do an introductory flight first" was probably the phrase I heard most. And it's true. It puts you as close as possible to being a pilot without the commitment. From my first flight I knew...this was only the beginning. Suddenly, I had dreams and goals: my first solo, getting my Private Pilot Certificate, eventually becoming a commercial airline pilot.

SCFC: How would you describe the feeling of flying a plane to someone who's never tried it?

MV: When I'm in the air, the rest of the world falls away. There's a freedom that you feel from the second the wheels lift off the ground. It's like time stops, you see the rest of the world continuing to live below you but you're somewhere else where it's just you and the endless sky. 

SCFC: What are some of your long term goals in aviation? Any specific adventures you're looking forward to?

MV: Eventually, I would like to make my way back to United Airlines as a Pilot. I would like to fly our new 787-9 Dreamliners and other international routes for a few years before transitioning to Airbus for the rest of my career. I would love to have a full circle moment with Danny [Daniel Stallini]. I've flown with him as a student and I hope to be able to fly with him as a First Officer.

Upcoming Overnight FOG Trips

FOG is hosting three multi-day flying adventures between May and September of 2026.

The first of three is a 4-day monument valley trip exploring the American Southwest from Thursday, May 27th to Sunday, May 31st. During this trip you'll be able to explore the incredible landscape in Southern California and even experience some mountain flying.

Click here to learn more and register

(American Southwest)

The next excursion is from Thursday, July 16th to Sunday, July 19th. This trip will cover the Pacific Northwest and Canada. Throughout these four days, you'll have the chance to explore cities, fly internationally, and gain valuable mountain flying experience.

Click here to learn more and register

(Pacific Northwest & Canada)

Last, but certainly not least, is FOG's 5-day Colorado mountain flying adventure. From Thursday, September 3rd to Monday, September 7th you'll be able to fly to some of the highest elevation airports in Colorado and gain a profuse amount of mountain flying experience.

Click here to learn more and register

(Colorado)