New Digital Lockbox

Our after-hours lockbox has a new digital lock, replacing the spinning letter lock we had for years. You'll find it on the right side of the box, with a lid that opens and closes to protect the keypad from the elements.

To bring the keypad to life, touch any key and the numbers will light up. The keycode is a six-digit number that is important to the Flight Center, and was mailed out last week to all SCFC members. If you need a refresher before your next flight, ask your flight instructor or the Front Desk agent.

For flights after hours, be sure that your flight is entered into Flight Schedule Pro enough in advance that to ensure your airplane keys are in the lockbox before your flight.

Shelby Rebholtz, Senior Instructor

The Flight Center is proud to announce the promotion of Shelby Rebholtz to Senior Flight Instructor.

Shelby was raised in aviation from an early age, flying with his pilot father. He earned his first certificate during college in Chico, and finished his advanced training in San Diego before joining the Flight Center in 2022.

In his years with us, he has created many positive connections with flight students who praise his focus on safety and his ability to work with many learning styles. He has presented FAA Safety Seminars and helped at a variety of Flight Center events. This promotion recognizes the value Shelby has brought to our school and the industry.

Senior Instructors represent the best SCFC has to offer. They are our most experienced flight instructors and the ones who have best helped us expand on our mission to be the best place for Safety, Community, and Adventure.

SQL Pilot/Controller Mtg - Jun 11 @7pm

It's always a great learning opportunity when pilots and controller can meet and exchange perspectives, on the ground away from the activity of actual flight operations.

San Carlos Flight Center is excited to welcome in the Tower Manager from KSQL Control Tower. The new RVA team has been fantastic through the recent company transition and we’ve been grateful to have positive control on the field again. We hope you can join us to meet part of the team in person.

Join us for an open conversation about the safety of flight operations at KSQL. What can pilots better understand about controller workload and traffic flow? What can controllers understand about how procedures affect flight operations?

Please bring questions that relate to operations at San Carlos Airport to pass to our panel host, or email us your questions in advance at seminars@sancarlosflight.com.

Please note: because of the expected size of the audience, we will be using our full classroom configuration. This will necessarily limit attendance only to those who have pre-registered here on our website.

SQL Runway Closure Jun 14th

On Saturday, June 14th, the Hiller Museum will be hosting their Biggest Little Airshow from 10:15am until 12:45pm. Pilots flying that day are advised to factor the runway closure into their flight plans.

For more information, check out the Hiller Museum website here.

Life Hack: SCFC Seminars earn CFI Time

You may know of our twice weekly Safety Seminars, held every Wednesday evening at 7pm and Saturdays at noon. The topics vary widely from pilot training tips, aviation career explorations, accident recap and analysis, and pilots sharing trip stories. They are fun and educational.

But did you know that attending seminars in person or watching via Livestream can actually reward you with CFI time? SCFC's Seminar Engagement Program (SEP) rewards members who stay active and always learning by crediting them with time with SCFC CFIs. Participate in 10 Safety Seminars, confirmed by signing the attendance sheet in person, or by entering the seminar code word after Livestream, and you earn 1 hour of SCFC CFI time to be used for the next aircraft checkout, recurrency flight, or flight review.

SCFC member Amir Kaspi is about to earn his third free hour of CFI time as he nears his 30th seminar. He said, "I find the Safety Seminar program extremely useful. Since I'm not considering a Commercial certificate, this is my only way to stay safe and refresh my memory."

For more information about our Seminar Engagement Program, click here.

Safety

Crosswind Season - Are You Ready?

It's a beautiful VFR day. You depart San Carlos and head out for lunch in Monterey. Returning home, you tune the ATIS and hear "winds 240 at 13 gusting 19." When was the last time you practiced crosswind landings?

During May, June, and July, the Bay Area experiences a rush of wind moving in from the coast towards the Central Valley. This wind is often funneled through areas like the San Bruno Gap and Crystal Springs, causing it to speed up and change direction as it reaches San Carlos. Compounding this issue are the office buildings and hangers on the approach end of Runway 30, which further change the wind direction. While the tower reads the wind from the center of the airport, these buildings may cause the wind to be at a different direction and speed on final approach.

How can you handle the tough crosswinds this year? The first recommendation is to practice with our instructors. SCFC can conduct both simulator training and in-aircraft training to practice this. The second recommendation is to know your limits. While the aircraft may have a demonstrated crosswind limit, yours as a pilot may be less. With your CFI, work together to find your limit and stick to it! Finally, consider flying earlier in the day, or in the late evening, to avoid the peak afternoon gusts. The mid-afternoon often has the highest winds and gusts.

As you build your skills, it's important to remember to always touch down parallel, meaning the airplane's nose is pointed straight down the runway. You'll need to use some bank to hold the centerline in a sideslip. Having the nose not parallel is dangerous and can easily lead to an accident. If you're unable to keep the nose parallel, it's a telling sign that the wind is too strong for your current skills. 

New Devil's Slide Rock Approach Video

Seabird Protection Network recently worked with San Mateo County Airports to produce an approach video that shows pilots how to fly a in the Devil's Slide Area sensitive nesting area 5 miles north of Half Moon Bay Airport. 

They ask that pilots fly above 1000' MSL and 1000' west to avoid disturbing birds, which also can keep pilots safe from bird strikes.  

Click here to view the new video.

Required Equipment: Where to Find What’s Required

During the preflight if an inoperative equipment/instrument is found, what sources should be used to determine if it is required for the aircraft to be airworthy?

The most common source is the regulations, specifically 14 CFR § 91.205 titled “Powered civil aircraft with standard U.S. airworthiness certificates: Instrument and equipment requirements.” This lists the instruments and equipment that must be operable. Many pilots remember this list using various acronyms such as GOOSEACAT or ATOMATOFLAMES.

Is 91.205 the only source? No, there are several other sources pilots should be familiar with. The Type Certificate Data Sheet, TCDS, is another source, although it is difficult to find since you must search the FAA Dynamic Regulatory System to find it. The TCDS may have a list of equipment required. The Cessna 172 TCDS states:

This equipment must include a current Airplane Flight Manual (AFM) effective S/N 17271035 and on.

1. Model 172 thru 172G: Stall warning indicator, Dwg. 0511062.

2. Model 172H and On: Stall warning indictor, Dwg. 0523112.

One other key source is the Airplane Flight Manual. Newer aircraft will have a section labeled Kinds of Operations Equipment List, KOEL. This section lists “System, Instrument, Equipment and/or Function” that is required for certain operations. The operations are commonly broken into VFR Day/Night and IFR Day/Night. As an example, in the 172S NAV III you will find that the “Stall Warning System” is required.

If the aircraft doesn’t have a KOEL, another source to check is the Comprehensive Equipment List in section 6, Weight & Balance/Equipment List. This table contains a list of equipment listed by item number and grouped by function. For Cessna aircraft, if the item number has a suffix “-R” that denotes that the item is required.

Pilots should familiarize themselves with these various sources so that when inoperative equipment is found, a proper decision can be made to determine if it is required.

SCFC Member Profile: Lukas Keating

SCFC: How does it feel to have passed your Instrument Checkride?

LK: I started my instrument training right after I got my PPL in 2021, but shortly thereafter I graduated from college, moved states, and took a few years hiatus from flight training. I restarted IFR training last September after moving to California and finding the San Carlos Flight Center. Before diving into Instrument, I had to refresh my PPL knowledge and learn the ins and outs of the intricate airspace that we have here in the Bay Area.

When I was finally ready for my IFR checkride in January, I then had to wait months to find a DPE. I remember pulling up to the Flight Center on May 1st, the morning of my checkride feeling weirdly excited (the nerves didn't kick in until I was in the briefing room). I feel relieved and happy that it's over, but also a huge sense of accomplishment. That rating is definitely a grind! 

SCFC: What is your ultimate goal in aviation? Is it what motivated you to begin IFR training?

LK: From the very start of my training, I knew that I wanted to fly for a career. I don't have a concrete goal in mind, as the aviation industry has a lot of different ways to make flying a part of your job. One of my goals is to get my CFI and to teach people how to fly. I have a background in teaching through my past and current jobs, and I love seeing the moment a new skill clicks for someone. A lofty goal of mine is to fly private jets out of KASE in Aspen, Colorado, where I was living before I moved to California.

My motivation for getting the IFR rating is twofold: 1) It is a necessary step in any aviation career, and 2) It means no longer having to stay on the ground and not being able to train or fly due to the cloud layers.

SCFC: Are there any interesting highs or lows from your Instrument Checkride that you can share with us?

LK: The high points are the reward for grinding through a difficult topic for weeks, like drawing unpublished VOR holds and figuring out entries, headings, and radials. When you eventually figure it all out and go put it into practice, there is no better feeling. It's also really cool to go out and legally touch clouds. I would definitely recommend for anyone to fly with a CFI in safe, stable IMC to experience what that's like.

The low points were few, mostly when I was checkride ready but didn't have an examiner scheduled, and felt as though I wasn't making any progress. Now I realize that having more experience only makes you a better pilot, and there's always a light at the end of the tunnel. 

SCFC: You recently joined the SCFC Front Desk team? What have you learned about the club from this new vantage point?

LK: I am super excited to be a part of the SCFC team. If you were in and out of the flight center these past six months, you might have noticed that I was here all the time anyway, studying or flying. Now I will be at the front desk several times a week, helping out with flight center duties when I am not studying or flying. They should give the front desk its own FAA rating, because there's a whole lot of information to learn and things to do to keep the flight center running smoothly. With over 700 active members, I'm going to have to work to put names to faces!

SCFC: What are some of the most enjoyable flights you’ve taken as a pilot?

LK: I flew into Basin Harbor Club in Vermont as one of my training flights when I was getting my PPL. The grass runway sits on the edge of a large lake and is a bucket list destination for most East Coast pilots. It was a great learning experience to be able to take all of the simulated soft field takeoffs and landings that you do for your ratings, and to be able to go put the plane down on an actual grass runway. Plus, the restaurant there is pretty killer. 

My first actual IMC flight with my instructor was another one for the books. We went late in the afternoon to Stockton and shot an approach down through the clouds. Popping out and seeing the runway was a pretty exhilarating feeling. We flew VFR on top back to SQL as the sun was setting over the clouds.

Answers from BBQ Challenges

The Flight Center's first BBQ of the year was a huge airport event, with over 150 pilots, guests, friends, kids, controllers, fuelers, and other members of the SQL Airport Community.

If you participated in the Preflight Inspection Challenge run by the SCFC Maintenance Team, you got a change first hand to see an airplane that had been temporarily modified to show things that would make the plane unairworthy.

Here are the airworthiness items you should have spotted.

• The POH was from another airplane
• Right flap roller bearing removed
• Nose wheel bearing snap/lock ring loose
• Hydraulic fluid streaking from under left landing gear strut fairing
• Tool left on top of engine
• Tail belly inspection panel off
• Pilot chair partially off rails
• Fuel tank selector handle not secured
• Left wingtip fairing screws removed and sagging
• Propeller governor control missing cotter pin
• Oil dip stick rubber o-ring missing
• Right brake back plate loose

According to Mechanic Tim Davis, the best contestants got 5 or 6 answers correctly. Congrats to everyone who tried.

June WAI Meeting - Jun 28 (Fr) 11am

Thank you to everyone who joined us for the SCFC Women in Aviation meeting last month! We had a wonderful turnout despite the holiday weekend and enjoyed coffee and homemade pastries while diving into thoughtful community-building activities. We discussed chapter formation, celebrated recent wins, and shared scholarship resources.

Our June meeting will be on Saturday, June 28th at 11:00 AM at San Carlos Flight Center—join us for bagels & berries, vision boards, and intentional discussion. Save the date and help us continue growing our SCFC WAI community!

California Mountain Flying - Jun 7-8

On June 7-8, SCFC CFIs will be leading a mountain training course across some of California's most famous mountain passes, airports, and sights. Learn how to safely navigate to Lake Tahoe, Mammoth Lakes, and fly over Yosemite National Park. 

During the weekend, pilots will also work towards earning a high-performance endorsement, advanced avionics (G1000) checkout, and a mountain checkout. It's the perfect opportunity to grow your skills as an aviator while also working on new training.

Spots for the trip are very limited, so sign up here if you would like to participate.

Flying Across the Border into Canada

Did you know that many of our Flight Center aircraft can be taken on international trips? We're doing exactly that this summer with our Pacific Northwest trip to Canada in July. The trip takes place from July 17 - 20, and will cover international operations, over-water procedures, and will allow pilots to become familiar with Seattle, Portland, and Vancouver's airspaces. We still have room for students to participate! Pilots with their own airplane are also welcome to join us. To learn more, visit this page.

For those hoping to learn more about flying in the Northwest and Canadian operations, join Flight Center CFIs Herb Patten and Travis Bender on June 4th at 7 PM for a seminar on flying in the Pacific Northwest. Whether you are going on the FOG trip in July or are hoping to one day journey to the region, the seminar will cover it all. RSVP here.