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The Centerline
The newsletter of San Carlos Flight Center
In This Issue
SCFC News
Safety
Community
Adventure
Member News 
Welcome New Members

Carlos Barrett
Noe Farias-Cabrera
Madhu Matta
Frederic Medous
Kevin Sayo
Timmy Truong

Member Achievements

Beth Kirkpatrick
Instrument Checkride
CFI Patti Andrews

Pop Quiz:
A fun monthly
knowledge test.
Editor:
Beth Kirkpatrick

1. Before entering Bravo airspace, a pilot is required to:
a. Establish two-way radio communication with ATC
b. Receive clearance to enter the airspace from ATC
c. There is no radio communication requirement for General Aviation aircraft

2. True or False: When the tower closes at KSQL, the airport operates as Class G airspace.

3: True or False: You can fly in Class A airspace without an IFR clearance as long as you are in VMC.
(answers are at the bottom)
Upcoming
SCFC Events and Safety Seminars
 
Dec 5 (Wed) 7:00pm
Drone Technology Airspace and Safety

Dec 8 (Sat) 12:00pm
Beyond Simple Airspace

Dec 12 (Wed) 7:00pm
Transitioning & Talking with Travis ATC

Dec 15 (Sat) 12:00pm
How a Helicopter Works

Dec 19 (Wed) 7:00pm
G1000 for the IFR Pilot KMFD to KCEC

Dec 20 (Thur) 7:00pm
Special Ops Meeting

Upcoming
Events & Trips
Dec 22 (Sat) 7:00pm
Full Moon Flyers at Napa

The Fleet
Piper Saratoga
N349MA - $395/hr

Cessna Centurion 210
N210VV - $350/hr

C182 - G1000
N1483L - $238/hr
N123TZ - $228/hr

C182
N21591 - $163/hr
N182EE - $234/hr
N9894E - $190/hr

C172S - G1000
N63251 - $180/hr
N6198N - $180/hr
N646DW - $172/hr

C172S - 6-pack
N410BS - $163/hr
N236SP - $163/hr
N458SP - $163/hr 
N652SP - $163/hr
N106RA - $163/hr

C172R 
N996RA - $154/hr
N2370F - $154/hr

C172N  
N734WZ - $140/hr

Piper Archer
N6848J - $160/hr

Piper Warrior
N91338 - $125/hr

C152
N714SW- $122/hr
N111RK - $115/hr
N5369H - $110/hr

Simulators
BATD GNS-430W - $30/hr
 
 (member prices shown) 
Contact Us 
Front Desk
(650) 946-1700
 

Reddit Group

655 Skyway Rd
Suite 215
San Carlos, CA 94070 
   
Pop Quiz Answers
1. b
2. True
3. False

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December 2018

SCFC News
Flying with Holiday Hours

The office will be closed:
Tuesday, December 25th
Wednesday, December 26th.
Tuesday, January 1st.

If you would like to fly on a day the office is closed, please make your reservation before 1pm on the 24th, or the 31st, and the front desk will ensure your keybook is placed in the lockbox.

Additionally, there will be no safety seminars on 12/22, 12/26 or 12/29, but make sure to check out the activities and events page for all our upcoming events!

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Calling All High School Juniors!
The application for the amazing 2019 Upwind Scholarship is now available.
This one-of-a-kind scholarship provides high school juniors the flight and ground training necessary to take their checkride. Applications are due Friday, February 22nd. For more information or to download the application, visit the Upwind website .

The Upwind Scholarship communications team would like to expand our reach this year. If you know of any aspiring young aviators, please share the word and encourage them to apply for the scholarship! If you have contacts with any local high school who might be interested in having us present to this opportunity to a career club, or other program, please let us know!

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We've Gone Green!
You may have noticed the new compost bin and the green decal on the door. You probably didn't notice the energy-efficient light bulbs or many of the other subtle changes we've implemented. What do all these changes mean? We are proud to announce that San Carlos Flight Center is now a Certified Green Business! It applies to our office operations only, not the fleet or maintenance areas, but that seemed like a good place to start. 

From time to time we will share some of the many small measures required by our certification process that you might notice as renting members. For example, we have moved our used battery bin to a more prominent location so you have a safe and easy way to discard spent headset and flashlight batteries. That may not seem like a big deal, but did you know that it is illegal in the State of California to throw any kind of battery in the trash or recycle bin? Please take advantage of our battery bin that is now located behind the front desk to help us limit the risks of improperly disposed of batteries. If you are unsure how to properly dispose of your batteries, just ask!

If you have questions or comments about the club's Green Business Certification, please direct them to Patti Andrews ( [email protected]).

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Rabbit Aviation Holiday Hours
Rabbit Aviation will have modified hours over the Christmas and New Year holidays. If you plan to fly during this time, please be sure you plan ahead!

Holiday Hours:
Monday, December 24: 7:00am - 6:00pm
Tuesday, December 25: minimum staff available 8:00am - 5:00pm
Monday, December 31: 7:00am - 5:00pm
Tuesday, January 1: minimum staff available 8:00am - 5:00pm

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Safety
Tips from the Tower
This month our friends in the tower would like to remind us to never abbreviate call signs unless they do so first. Improper use of call signs can result in pilots executing a clearance intended for another aircraft.  Only ATC may initiate abbreviated call signs of aircraft by using the prefix and the last three digits/letters of the aircraft identification after communications are established. Call signs should never be abbreviated on an initial contact.  If you hear a new controller voice on the radio, revert back your full call sign. An abbreviated call sign is only valid when you are in communication with the controller that issued it!

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Safely Navigating the Sky at Night
On November 4th, Daylight Savings Time ended, bringing earlier nightfall.  For those of us who work a regular 9-5 schedule, early nightfall means an increase in night flying time.  How current are your night skills? Maybe it's time to focus on what is different between day VFR and night VFR flight.

Obviously, less ambient light adds challenges for anything requiring eyesight, including preflight inspection, taxi safety, obstruction avoidance, IMC recognition and avoidance, cockpit resource management, and a number of others. Most familiar to pilots is probably the differences in landing. The sight picture of a normal approach to a runway is very different with reduced external visual cues. Flashing lights can help or hurt pilot attention and recognition.

So should night flight be avoided? Not necessarily. Night flight brings with it reduced ATC workloads, often calmer winds, cooler temperatures that help performance, and the ability to spot traffic from farther off. For a more in depth look at night flying, watch this recording of our October seminar. Note: You must be at least a web membership to view this video.

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Community
Member Profile: Ryan Moore
SCFC: When did you realize you wanted to be a pilot? 
RM:  I'm a person who is always up for learning something new. About 10 years ago, I bought the Airplane Flying Handbook and read through the entire thing. Unfortunately, I never ended up pursuing lessons until this past summer. Randomly, I saw a Youtube video about some flight maneuvers, and my interest was reignited. I searched for reputable schools in the area and found SCFC. After having a demo flight with Knight, I was hooked.

SCFC: How has the process of learning to fly helped you outside of aviation? Do you see a connection to learning how to fly an airplane to other things in your life?
RM:  Flight School has been more of a challenge than I expected. In my job as a Kindergarten teacher, I am used to being the expert, but I have been humbled by the amount of knowledge and skill that is required to fly an airplane.

SCFC: What are your aviation goals?
RM:  My aviation goals include becoming a safe and competent pilot,while having loads of fun along the way.  The list of friends and family that are looking forward to sitting in the passenger seat next to me should help keep my currency up for a long while.

SCFC: What are your interests outside of aviation? 
RM: Outside of aviation, I am an avid traveler, and have been all around Europe, Asia, and Australia. As well, I have always loved learning languages and currently have 6 that I can speak with various levels of fluency, Japanese being my favorite and most proficient.  I sing karaoke pretty well too!

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Meet the CFI: Reed Cote, CFII
Reed first began flying in 2014 to fulfill his lifelong goal of becoming a private pilot. Quickly, his passion for weekend flights to Northern California airports became a life-ambition. In 2018, he resigned his desk job and began pursuing a career in aviation: obtaining the required ratings to become a CFI, CFII, and MEI. As an instructor, Reed strives to build safe and proficient pilots that believe in lifelong learning. Not only can you learn from his life experience and knowledge of the Bay Area - he's a native - but you can also learn about hundred-dollar tacos/burgers the region has to offer.

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Special Ops: End of the Year Meeting & "Gift Around"
Thursday, December 20, 7:00pm
It's the greatest time of year to join the Special Ops team! Join us as we start planning all the great events, seminars and groups of 2019. You'll be the first to know about our big up and coming adventures and have the opportunity to lead a hand and make them even bigger and even better! We invite all of our members to join our Special Ops team!

This meeting will be extra special with hot cocoa, snacks and a "Gift Around"! Bring a $20.00 wrapped gift to be swapped for the "Gift Around" and join us for the last Special Ops meeting of 2018!

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Adventure
Charting Your Adventure Flying for Next Year
In 2018, over 200 California pilots took part in a FlyOutGroup event. The search for adventure in 2019 is on. FOG is always looking for ways for pilots to share in the wonder of flying. We've started planning for a 5-day Mountain Flying in Yellowstone, weekend getaways to San Diego & Portland and fun pilot challenges like "Capture the Airport". As well as our usual popular trips: wine tasting, whitewater rafting, and to air museums throughout the state.

Where do you want to go? What new adventures do you want to try? What new places do you want to explore? Share your favorite on-field restaurant or your favorite runway nestled in a sleepy mountain valley. Help shape the adventure in 2019 and make exciting new memories in 2019. Share your ideas on the next FlyOutGroup trip, or emails us your suggestions today at [email protected] .

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Full Moon Flyers to Napa
Dec 22 (Sat), 7:00pm
Join us Tuesday night, December 22nd at 7:00pm as we enjoy dinner at The Runway at Napa County Airport (KAPC).

Each month, several FOG pilots take part in the Full Moon Flyers dinner flight. Some are out of night currency, so they fly alone or bring along a CFI. Some are night current and bring along a friend. Some are student pilots with their CFI, fulfilling the night cross country requirement in a more fun and social way.  So come along and join us for a social group dinner, followed by a beautifully moonlit flight back home.

Please sign up at the SCFC website so we can get an accurate headcount and keep you in the loop with updates. Ridesharing is encouraged, so be sure to list any open seats, or contact someone you'd like to ride along with.

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We keep our online calendar updated, so bookmark this page: 
http://www.sancarlosflight.com/activities/calendar. Better yet, follow the instructions at the top of the page to add this calendar to your iPhone.

Fall Membership Drive Extended!
Now through December 30th

It's time to FALL in love with flying! Do you have a friend who has been thinking about flying but needs the extra push? Well now's the time to commit and get up in the air with these fantastic fall deals!

New Members
$0 activation fee
and first month free
SCFC Members
Save 10% when you pre-pay 
12 months member dues

Drop by the office or give us a call at  650-946-1700  to start saving today!