You’ve read about them and maybe had to answer a knowledge test question about them but do you really need to know the details of a DME arc on an instrument approach?  After all, you are flying with modern avionics with WAAS capability, VOR approaches are a thing of the past right?  Then it happens, you are IMC and your destination is below minimums even the LPC and know you need to divert.  You divert to an airport and pull up the approach chart and realize the approach has a DME Arc.  Do you remember how to do it?  What will you do if the GPS and autopilot won’t magically fly the arc for you?

Do not fear the arc.  In fact, they can be quite fun and rewarding and will keep you proficient with the basic navigation instruments.  In this seminar, Brian Eliot will demystify the the DME arc approaches found at Crescent City (KCEC), Fresno Chandler Executive Airport (KFCH), Tri-Cities Airport (KPSC), Yakima Air Terminal (KYKM), along with two right here in the Bay Area, Watsonville (KWVI) and Salinas (KSNS).

If you are an IFR or interested VFR pilot, take advantage of the expert insight offered by Brian Eliot, IFR resident expert at San Carlos Flight Center.

Summer is here and all of us are itching to get back into flying.  However, with the hot summer heat comes Thermal Turbulence.  Want to know how it will affect your next flight?

San Carlos Flight Center invites commercial pilot and weather enthusiast Dave Kramer to discuss Thermal Turbulence.  In this seminar, Dave will cover what to expect from Thermal Turbulence, where to fly to get a good ride, and how to identify it before you get hit.  Many pilots don’t know how to anticipate where and how Thermal Turbulence may impact your flight.  In some cases, that may be ok, but in other cases it is crucial to recognize the dangers that come with this Thermal Turbulence before you take your next summer flight.

Don’t miss out on this opportunity to learn about Thermal Turbulence to better prepare you and your passengers for your next flight this summer.

Seattle and the Pacific Northwest is a hub of the aviation industry and innovation, and what better way to experience this cosmopolitan region than in the air? However, with a major international airport, multiple military bases, and rapidly shifting weather patterns, flying in this airspace isn’t easy to navigate.

San Carlos Flight Center invites member pilots Travis Bender and Brandan Dadoun to delve into Seattle Airspace, the San Juan Islands, and different ways a Bay Area Pilot can reach Seattle. This seminar will break up the complex Seattle Airspace into smaller areas so it can be interpreted and flown easily for any pilot hoping to fly in the region. In addition, we will also discuss proper procedures for many airports, including SeaTac International, Boeing Field, and Renton, as well as how to handle some of the unique challenges of flying in the region, such as terrain and weather. Finally, we will highlight how to fly from the Bay Area to Seattle VFR.

If you are hinting in flying to Seattle in the near future, this seminar will help you get there efficiently and safely.

San Carlos Flight Center invites AGI and CFI Herb Pattern to explore the “Circle to Land” instrument approach.  In this seminar, Herb will review the design criteria that cause an approach to be titled for circling only, when circling minimums are excluded from a chart, when you can land straight in from a circling approach, and when you can circle from a straight-in approach.  It’s also crucial not to forget discussing chart notes, circling restrictions, and formulating a landing plan based on the approach path and runway layout.  Finally, we will examine the critical execution of the circling missed approach maneuver.

All instrument-rated pilots need to be familiar and confident with these procedures.  You will never know when you are faced with this situation.  Join us, and re-familiarize yourself with this unique procedure.

Bay Area area pilots are fortunate to experience the beauty of the bay through the Bay Tour.  However, have you ever wanted to change your Bay Tour and “spice it up” a bit?  Looking to treat your friends and family to a different kind of Bay Tour?  Join this seminar and learn from a Geologist on how to fly the best Bay Tour of your life.

San Carlos Flight Center invites Wendy Kordesch, a Bay Area Geologist, to talk with pilots on how they can amuse their passengers on a more interesting Bay Tour.  In this seminar Wendy will explain how to fly along the San Andreas fault, identify amazing geological features hiding in plain sight, fly along the most pristine waterways and coastline all while impressing your passengers with the rich history of the Bay’s geography.  Learn how to protect our pristine natural environment by flying safely over nature’s most immaculate places.

All pilots are invited to attend this truly unique opportunity to learn more about the Bay’s most prestigious landmarks.

Flight Instructors help students acquire knowledge, perfect flight skills, and learn good decision making.  Quality flight instruction is an important part of building a safe community of pilots.  But not many pilots know about the process of becoming a certificated flight instructor.  Is it okay to fly with a very new instructor?  Should I seek out someone with many years of experience?  What makes the difference between a good CFI and a great CFI?

In this seminar, designed primarily to be viewed by flight instructors, we will examine the obligations of the role of flight instructor, and look for ways good instructors can push themselves to improve.  Most importantly, we’ll show all the important ways that flight instruction differs from being a pilot, as outlined in the FAA’s Aviation Instructor’s Handbook.

If you are a new flight instructor who is passionate about effective instruction and looking for tips to improve your effectiveness, please join us.  Commercial pilots who may be considering flight instruction as a career may also find value in this seminar.  High-time flight instructors may already know much of these items, but are welcome to view the presentation as a refresher of what our profession aims toward.

Columbia is a history-rich town settled in the Sierra Nevada foothills, founded in the 1850s during the Gold Rush. The historic downtown area features the largest single collection of existing Gold Rush-era structures in the entire state, and offers saloons, merchants, a tea house, and much more. The Columbia Airport is an ideal airport to experience non-towered operations, grass runways, and the closest you can get to high-altitude airports.

San Carlos Flight Center invites experienced pilots Amanda Chan, and Marco Leogrande to share their experiences with flying to Columbia Airport and how to make the trip into a great weekend destination and memorable learning experience for all. The Columbia airport (O22) is located a mere 15 minutes walk from downtown, and it features a 4600 ft paved runway and a 2600 ft grass runway. An on airport campground, exclusively for pilots, offers picnic tables, barbecues, campsites, flush toilets and hot showers. At 2,121 ft MSL and surrounded by hills, O22 provides pilots with an introduction to the challenges involved with operating at a higher-elevation airport. This seminar will highlight the steps to help you plan a cross country flight plan from the Bay Area, and some of the necessary precautions needed while operating at a grassy, high altitude, and non towered airport.

If you are looking to find an airport that offers a unique challenge for many pilots, and be rewarded with the beautiful sights of Columbia; don’t miss this webinar.

Travis RAPCON is a unique approach facility that many Bay Area Pilots get the opportunity to talk to.  From VFR aircraft to C17’s practicing approaches, Travis handles it all.

San Carlos Flight Center invites Master Sergeant John Addams, and Senior Airmen Cameron Roelofs to discuss the Travis RAPCON and its ATC services.  In this seminar they will cover how Travis accommodates basic service to VFR aircraft, and the benefits of receiving VFR flight following within their airspace.  They will also explain some of the ways that Class E airspace relates to Travis AFB, and why it’s important to be talking to Travis RAPCON while operating in their airspace.  Lastly, how pilots can be direct, clear, and concise on the radio while talking to ATC.

The presenters are also eager to take questions from the GA flying community.  If you have ever wondered about the approach operations at Travis AFB, or if you want to learn more about their services and experiences; you won’t want to miss this seminar.

Flying through in the many airspaces of 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.

San Carlos Flight Center invites Herb Patten, Assistant Chief Pilot, AGI and CFI and Dan Dyer, Chief Pilot and CFI to show how to perfect your communication and phraseology.  They will cover radio phraseology from the basics through advanced ATC services with emphasis on flight following and flight service stations.  This seminar will include many examples on how to recognize bad radio calls, and how to fix them. Learn how to make radio communication easier and safer for all pilots.

If you are interested in becoming better at your radio, you don’t want to miss this seminar.

Human body dynamics are complicated on the ground, and really interesting when you take them up thousands of feet in elevation.  The reduction in ambient air pressure can cause various impairments that directly affect safety of flight.

Join AGI Michel Vidal-Naquet as he reviews important Aeromedical Factors such as the four types of hypoxia, the impact of medicines and alcohol on the human body, and how the human eye and mind can be fooled by various spatial and visual illusions.  He will also go over some common over-the-counter medications that pilots might not consider to impair their ability to fly, but may actually be dangerous.

Come and join this online seminar in the ground school refresher series to review the impact of flight on the human body and become a safer pilot.