| Member News |
| Welcome New Members
Don Blanchard
Howie Bruno
Mark Centoni
Aaren Chan
Carl Chatfield
Sandy Dondici
Leonardo Faye
Farhad Kashani
Kat Marquez-Baird
Ben Maser
David Murray
Mario Salinas
Adhiraj Somani
Andres Stahle
Tom Werner
John Woll
Member Achievements
Sorin Cioban
First Solo Flight CFI Adam Kelly Jeff Hermansen Instrument Pilot CFI Kevin Hyberger Dave Kramer Instrument Pilot CFIs Brian Eliot
and Clark Harrell Michael Mainiero Commercial Pilot CFI Pamela McCarthy Tyler Olson First Solo Flight CFI Kevin Hyberger Joel Slater Commercial Pilot CFI Miguel Mundo Russ Smathers Private Pilot CFI Justin Phillipson Randall Walliser Certified Flight Instructor CFI Darryl Kalthof
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| Pop Quiz A fun monthly knowledge test. |
| Imagine a normal approach to the runway on a normal day. Your approach includes: a normal power setting, a normal airspeed, normal flap extensions, and the choice of when to turn base. As a thought experiment, determine how you would modify your choice about where to turn base in the following situations, if all other factors remained unchanged.
1) Where would you turn base on a day with no wind, or even a slight tailwind?
2) Where would you turn base if flaps were stuck full out?
3) Where would you turn base if your engine were unreliable or only developing partial power?
4) Where would you turn base at an airport with a higher than standard traffic pattern? (answers are at the bottom) |
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Upcoming
Safety Seminars
and SCFC Events
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Destination Strange, Part 2: Flying in the Old World
Reporting Points in the Bay Area
Monthly BBQ
YAW: Young Aviators Weekend Program
Student and New PIlot Support Group
Electricity for Pilots
Flying the SF Bay Tour
CFI Round-Table: Teaching Tailwheel
Off Airport Helicopter Landings
Approach Plate Lunch
Practical Risk Management
Flying to Alaska
Considering an Instrument Rating?
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Upcoming 
Events & Trips
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Full Moon Flyers to Willows-Glenn
FOG Lunch in Petaluma
Five Museums in Five Days
2015 FOG Colorado Trip
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| The Fleet |
| Helicopter Robinson R22 N111AH - $295/hr Robinson R44 N447S - $495/hr
C150/C152
N66405 - $140/hr Citabria N59WD - $135/hr
Multi-Engine
Beechcraft 76 Duchess N83ER - $295/hr Turbo Seneca II N14GQ - $330/hr Simulators Multi-Screened G1000 - $75/hr Xwind 200 - $250/session ATD GNS-430W - $30/hr (member prices shown) |
| Contact Us |
| (650) 946-1700 Email Us 655 Skyway Rd Suite 215 San Carlos, CA 94070 |
| Pop Quiz Answers
1) Turn base farther from the airport due to the faster than normal ground speed and shallower approach angle on final.
2) Turn base tighter to the runway because your descent angle will be steeper than normal.
3) Turn base closer to the runway to reduce the need for power. If possible, make an unpowered glide to the runway.
4) Turn base farther out. You'll need more time and glide distance to lose the extra altitude.
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Stay Informed
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SCFC News
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New Member Benefit: Runway Cameras
 Many of us sit a home planning flights, wondering what the airport microclimate is like. Wouldn't it be nice to have an airport web cam?
Wonder no more! SCFC has installed two runway cams for your benefit, one facing each end of the runway. SCFC Renting and Community Members may now view these runway cams 24 hours a day on the Members Only portion of the SCFC website at http://sancarlosflight.com/runway-cams.
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Ground School Starts Next Week
 Our popular Private Pilot Ground School starts up again this week. It's offered Sundays at 10:00am and Tuesdays at 6:30pm, runs for 12 weeks, and gives you all the knowledge and preparation you need to pass the FAA Knowledge test. The classes are taught concurrently so students are welcome to attend either day. Instructor Herb Patten offers extra help and bonus class sessions to make SCFC students fully prepared and confident.
To sign up, contact the front desk at (650) 946-1700 today.
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Safety
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Praise and Respect for the Starter Motor
 Starter motors convert stored electrical energy into enough motive force to turn a cold engine. This is a tremendous conversion of energy and generates a lot of heat. Overuse, or repeated starts without allowing adequate cooling can shorten the life of the starter.
When starting your engine, make an appropriate priming decision and allow any added fuel time to vaporize. Engage the starter until the engine starts, but use care not to run the starter for more than 5-10 seconds. If the attempt fails, wait at least 30 seconds (or the time specified in your aircraft POH) before trying again to allow the starter to cool. If after a few attempts, the engine has not started, shutdown the aircraft and seek assistance from a mechanic or a CFI.
As GA pilots, we should be grateful that electric starter motors were invented, helping us stay alive with all ten fingers. As a sign of respect, be sure to understand how not to damage this essential safety device.
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Airspeed on Final: Energy to Be Managed  A pilot's goal on final should be a stable airspeed all the way down to the runway. But what airspeed? Most POHs include a normal approach speed for pilots to use as a starting point. Here are a couple of things to keep in mind. If there are gusts or turbulence, your approach speed should be slightly higher - add half the gust factor to your normal approach speed. If there is a strong crosswind component, you should also increase final approach speed to give increased rudder authority and have more energy to overcome the drag created by the sideslip in the flare. In some emergency or unusual situations, such as when landing on a very short runway or in a forced landing off airport, most POHs specify a slower speed of about 1.3 VS0. Landing with little airspeed means having little energy to dissipate, so a shorter flare and ground roll. Use caution: a slower than normal approach is only for unusual or emergency situations, and adds greater risk to the landing. A normal landing should have a normal stable approach speed.
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Community
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Member Profile: Terri Mead  SCFC: What inspired you to learn to fly?
TM: My dad flew fixed wing out of KHWD when I was a kid and one day at an airshow, I got to go up in a helicopter. I said to myself, "One day I will fly one of these." I dreamed of it for years and only told my husband. He got tired of hearing me say it and gave me a discovery flight for my 28th birthday hoping I would shut up. That was 7 years ago and he regrets the gift daily. SCFC: Do your friends and family like to go flying with you? TM: My daughter Rachel is my best passenger and co-pilot although I love sharing flight with anyone who is interested and excited. My husband Zeke and my son Adam couldn't care less about flying. I think they are weird. SCFC: Tell us about a favorite flying trip or memory. TM: Any time I got to fly with my dad as a kid I loved it. My mom never knew that he would practice stalls with me in his Cessna 152 or that he let me fly. I loved flying to Calistoga for ice cream cones or to the Nut Tree for lunch. SCFC: What are your aviation goals? TM: To finish my commercial rating. I recently passed the oral with flying colors but failed the practical doing confined spaces so once I get a few more practice flights in, I plan to ace the remaining maneuvers. For me, it's all about becoming a better and safer pilot. SCFC: What are you most proud of when it comes to aviation? TM: I once heard that 5% of the population flies, 5% of those are helicopter pilots, and 5% of those are women which amounts to about 5000 female helicopter pilots in the world. I am exceptionally proud to be one of them. SCFC: What do you do when you're not flying? TM: I consult with life sciences companies on IT strategy, IT compliance, and IT project management. I enjoy spending time with my husband Zeke and children (Adam 14 and Rachel 10), and our pit bull Violet. In my spare time I play tennis, travel, enjoy gourmet cooking, drinking good wine, and sipping cocktails with our friends.
The Member Profile is a regular newsletter feature,
designed to help SCFC members get to know one another.
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Fly Like a Girl
 The women of SCFC have formed a new program aimed at inspiring and supporting women pilots. Fly Like a Girl connects current and aspiring women pilots in an informal monthly forum. Please join us on Thursday, April 16 at 7:00pm for our next meeting. We will share with you the ideas we've come up with so far, form of a quick focus group to share new ideas and plan upcoming meetings. Our first events will be a combination of social activities, flying opportunities, and airport improvement projects. Join us if you are proud to Fly Like a Girl.
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Adventure
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April 22-26 (Wed-Sun)
5 Museums in 5 Days
 Aviation history enthusiasts, unite! The Pacific Northwest is home to so many great aviation museums, so the Bay Area FlyOutGroup (FOG) has put together a long weekend trip to visit some favorites. In five days, we will fly up the coast to Seattle and back, visiting five great aviation museums and seeing some spectacular aerial vistas. Grab a plane (and a CFI if needed) and join us. There is also potential for some actual IMC, making this a great opportunity for IFR training or currency.
Click here for more information.
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July 1-5 (Wed-Sun)
 2015 FOG Colorado Trip
More details are now available for this year's Colorado FOG trip, and it's going to be great fun! In this year's new route, we depart the Bay Area bound for Salt Lake City, landing at this GA-friendly Class B airport. After a night downtown, we fly to the heart of the Rockies for two nights in Salida, Colorado. Mornings are spent flying stunning mountain passes, with afternoons and evenings spent exploring this laid-back mountain town. Day four we head west bound for Vegas, baby! (Bonus: Fourth of July fireworks celebration in Sin City.) Day five we make the journey home, with an optional overflight of the Grand Canyon. Prepare to be challenged and amazed on this perennial FOG favorite.
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We keep our
online calendar
updated, so bookmark this p
age:
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