San Carlos Airport

Had a nice tour of San Carlos Airport (behind-​the-​scene). Got to see all the private planes helicopters, hangars, etc! Just super cool to see them take off!

I flew a Citation Jet 1 into this airport and it was one of my mist difficult landings yet. I had 30+ knot crosswinds along with a really short runway. The controller vectored me on course really well, and I had a straight in approach for runway 30 I believe it was. The landing was OK, and I used up the full length of the runway. I went to transient parking and everything went smoothly. Jet A was a little delayed, but it was cheap. There was a small diner at the airport too, right by transient parking, so it was convienent.

This place is nice and organized and we felt safe walking across the lot to get to our plane and from our plane. You could understand the tower and the ground over the radio. Very professional and the little café with the waiting room was clean and neat.

Loved my experience at San Carlos Airport. I had flight lessons with Christopher Bortolotto. He was the best! He was helpful, smart and patient. I learned a ton from Chris and I would recommend him to anybody who is looking for a flight lesson. Amazing experience!

Great airport in the heart of the Peninsula. Super services on the field and friendly folks all around. Be sure to come down for the Hiller Museum’s Fly Me to the Food days!

It all started here in 1979. I was part of the United Airlines Flying Club which was home based here at San Carlos Airport.
Here’s where my love for flying Cessna’s first started and the seed was planted to one day become a private pilot.
San Carlos Airport and those that helped me along the way, I will always heart you.

The SQL staff are always friendly. Keep up the good job guys & girls!

As far as airports of this size go… San Carlos Airport is GEM!
Sparkling clean, great staff… precise, polite… any time of day (or night!)
5 STARS FOLKS!
**Bonus Feature: «Private Jet-​iquette», by Karen S…***
1. Be on time! Nothing pisses off your generous host like you, being «tardy for the party»…if he says «wheels up in 90» (minutes)… you be there in 60… do NOT show up RIGHT on the dot!
2 ASK how much luggage you can bring! Remember, the less baggage one has, the better (and I’m not just talking Samonsite here!)
3. Do dress the part! True, it’s a private jet, whose looking… then again, you’re not climbing into your cousin Steve’s Winnebago for a spin to the Grand Canyon in overalls and a trucker’s cap! Look sharp! Remember, it’s always better to be overdressed than under-​dressed!
4. Don’t tip the staff… that’s up to the owner.
5. When boarding, pause a bit before settling in… for one, you don’t want to bogart the host’s favorite seat… but once the host does sit down, so should you, don’t clutter the aisle air kissing the other passengers like Euro-​trash, etc, plenty of time to do that later.)
6. Try not to gawk/​name drop, you’ll look like a bumpkin (though I did see Larry Ellison boarding his jet about 30 feet away… ok shoot me for breaking one of my own cardinal rules, it’s my list, isn’t it?)
7. Do go with the flow, run with the program… be witty and engaging (if you’re able) slouching in your chair, clutching your I-​pod, in a catatonic state isn’t sexy… well, in MOST cases… I can think of a few exceptions.
8. Don’t be the «one» that drinks red wine or vodka cranberry’s on the plane, waving your arms around during a re-​telling of your latest run in with your ex… afterall, you don’t want your host to remember you by the stain on the carpet or fabulously appointed seats!!! Stick to clear beverages… like vodka, gin, sparkling water, Sprite… you get the idea!
9. Do send a fabulous thank you gift and well thought out thank you note… it’s the least you can do!

This is the most convenient GA airport on the West Side of the SF Bay (the only other general aviation airport on the Peninsula is PAO). This is my home airport and I learned to fly here.
There are three flight schools here at the field, West Valley Flying Club, Diamond Aviation, and Bel-​Air International. WVFC and Diamond will rent airplanes. SQL also has a small diner called the Sky Kitchen, and a small pilot supplies store that stocks all the WACs, Sectionals, TACs, and other charts that you may need. They have a limited selection of other equipment, but will have your standard checklists and some POH’s.
The nicest people on the field are the fuel guys on the UNICOM. The tower is highly professional but they are pretty serious … they don’t joke around. They will also give you an aerial can of whup-​ass if you bust Bravo… have heard some pilots get castrated over the tower frequency for mistakes but hey, in the end, this keeps us all safer. This is an outsourced tower, not an FAA tower facility.
Winds here are typical of the Bay, with X-​wind take-​offs and landings being the norm on some portion of the day. Winds are strongest April — October. It’s much less busy than Palo Alto. Noise abatement procedures are minimal and typical of such a congested area and it’s the only way we can still have GA airports in harmony with our cities. The real tricky part is how close this is to the 1500ft Bravo shelf from SFO. Visiting pilots should call the airport manager to get a detailed airport diagram with the latest noise abatement procedures.

My home base, and my training center of choice in the South Bay. Not that we have that much of a choice in this area, but we do have two flying clubs on opposite ends of the field here (Diamond Aviation and West Valley). The surrounding area’s noise abatement is a real pain-​in-​the-​ass right after takeoff, but you get used to the procedures after a few spins. The field is NOT easy to reach if you’re relying on public transportation.