If you are looking to broaden your understanding of the formulas you use while flying, this is the seminar for you.

Truckee Airport is the gateway to Lake Tahoe.  The spectacular views of Lake Tahoe are a short flight away, but pilots need to be aware of the challenges associated with these flights.  Truckee is settled well above sea level, located between mountainous terrain and gorgeous vistas.  This location brings variable weather conditions which can pose tricky to manage for new pilots.  While it can be an excellent place to visit, pilots need to be thoroughly familiar with airport procedures and to know what to expect upon their arrival in Truckee.

If you are looking to plan a trip to Truckee sometime this summer, join us to feel more safe, confident, and knowledgeable on your upcoming trip to Truckee.

Flying in and out of the many airports in California requires a high degree of situational awareness and sophisticated radio skills. And yet, radio communication is rarely taught as a specific subject during private pilot training. Usually, new pilots just absorb what they hear on the frequency around them, both good and bad. Although some radio techniques are covered in ground school, rarely do student pilots get the time devoted to demystifying this often-confusing subject.

Herb Patten, Chief Pilot, AGI and CFI and Dan Dyer CFI will walk participants through a foundation of non-towered radio communication phraseology and use, from the basics through advanced. Learn how to make radio communication easier and safer for all pilots.

This will be an important seminar for pilots struggling with radio communications.  If this is you, plan to attend.  Build your confidence, and be the pilot you want to be.

Every flight has an associated risk, and pilots need to know how to either take on that risk or mitigate it.  However, when can a pilot notice when that risk is too much?  Will it endanger the flight?

San Carlos Flight Center invites AGI and CFI James Sloan to discuss practical risk management for all pilots.  In this seminar James will review several different useful frameworks for identifying, assessing, and mitigating risks along with sharing common scenarios where those frameworks can be put into practice.  There are many ways a pilot can handle a risky scenario, nonetheless, it should not be compensated for the safety of the flight.

If you are a pilot that wants to recognize how a risk can affect your flight; or if you just want to be a safer pilot, join us for this seminar.

Students and new pilots are increasingly flying with computer tablets, and using software that replaces paper charts and documents with the digital equivalents.  These applications, such as ForeFlight, are extremely powerful and have a plethora of features.  For a pilot just beginning to use ForeFlight, the choices and options seem overwhelming.  Valuable features and capabilities can go undiscovered.

Join SCFC in inviting Alessandro and Brandan to highlight some of the important first steps to take after downloading ForeFlight, and how to get started.  In this seminar, we will cover the most efficient ways to use this helpful software, along with many of the helpful tools to help with your flight planning.  Some of these include how to set up performance profiles, weight and balance, how to use geo referenced charts, and set up your electronic logbook. After this seminar you will feel confident using one of the most popular EFB’s available to pilots.

(Note: ForeFlight can be quite overwhelming with features, but basic Internet connection and iPad operation can also be overwhelming.  While we hope to talk extensively about ForeFlight, this IS NOT a technical support seminar for basic Internet connectivity and iPad use.)

If you are just beginning to explore the features of ForeFlight and want to deepen your understanding on how to effectively use these great tools, you will want to attend this seminar.  Bring your tablet and show up to discover the best features for new pilots.

Aerodynamics is the basis of flying; without a fundamental understanding of lift, drag, airfoils and more, why are you even flying?  While these topics can be quite challenging to master, it’s the foundation to building an exceptional and knowledgeable pilot.

San Carlos Flight Center invites SCFC CFI Lukasz Zoromski to talk about how a pilot might go about understanding the fluid environment of aerodynamics.  In this seminar, we will cover the four forces of flight and their effect on an airframe, airfoils, stability in the atmosphere, load factor, V Speeds, performance, and much more.  After this seminar, pilots will feel confident knowing that you have refreshed yourself on one of the most difficult parts of aeronautical knowledge.

If you have ever struggled with comprehending this material, or feeling like you need a refresher, you won’t want to miss this seminar.

Join SCFC CFI Herb Patten for an insightful review of the aspects of selecting and filing an alternate airport.  This will include details buried in various FAA regulation and legal opinions.  The information in this seminar will prepare you to confidently determine when and how to select your alternate airport for your next IFR flight.

If you are wondering when, why, and how to select an alternate airport, join us for this seminar.

It’s the day that every pilot awaits; the transition from student pilot to certificated private pilot.  For most, the FAA Practical Test or “checkride” is viewed as a terrifying but necessary right of passage.  A Designated Pilot Examiners (DPE) must test each student thoroughly on their aviation knowledge, control and mastery of the aircraft, and risk awareness and judgment.  Even if the student has been perfectly prepared by their instructor, the checkride is still the unknown and a point of concern.  Let’s change that.  With a guided look in the FAA’s Airman Certification Standards document, any student pilot can better understand what standards they will be held to and how to ace their checkride.

San Carlos Flight Center invites local DPE Scott Rohlfing to help student pilots understand what can be expected during a private pilot checkride and learn what they can do to be prepared and confident on their big day.  In this seminar, Rohlfing will relay what student pilots need to know before the checkride, and share tips from his previous experiences from other checkrides to make sure the same issues don’t arise on your checkride.  We have also asked him to review the different maneuvers and procedures that a DPE can request from a student pilot during the checkride so they can be ready to tackle anything.

If you are a student pilot that wants to be prepared, confident, and know what to expect on your checkride; you don’t want to miss this unique seminar.

Catalina Island boasts stunning Pacific island vistas, miles of hiking trails, and a tiny runway perched precariously on the top of a dynamited mountaintop.  With the beautiful surroundings and scenery, pilots can easily get distracted from what’s below.

San Carlos Flight Center invites Instrument Rated Pilot David Aragnovich to discuss what pilots flying to Catalina Airport need to know.  Some of which include unique flight planning considerations for Catalina, including local arrival and departure procedures, considerations for open water flying safety, route selection for IFR and VFR pilots, transiting the LA SFRA, W&B and fuel planning, services/fees/facilities at the Airport in the Sky, and some things to plan to do once you get there.  Catalina can serve as a perfect day trip for most pilots, but that does not come without extensive planning and safety measures adhered to.

Join us for this unique opportunity to delve into Catalina Airport operations, and how you can fly there safely and efficiently.

Years ago, when GPS navigation systems first entered the cockpit, pilots were forced to interpret GPS signals through older VOR devices.  Now with color and moving map displays using GPS navigation is easier than ever.  But for new pilots some of the terms may be confusing.

San Carlos Flight Center invites chief pilot Dan Dyer for an introduction to basic GPS terms in use.  Learn the difference between TRK, DTK, and XTK.  This is your chance to ask a flight instructor all the questions about GPS that you’ve wanted to ask.  If you recently added a GPS unit to your aircraft or you are a new pilot starting out on cross-country navigation using GPS this is the presentation for you.

Don’t miss out on this opportunity to learn how GPS can be a useful aid to many pilots, when used safely.