Event Details and Registration

Helicopters have been around for eight decades, but many people still have radical misunderstand of their performance capabilities.  If you’re a helicopter pilot, you’ve likely had to correct the impressions of your family and friends about what these most versatile aircraft can do.

Join us on Monday, December 12, at 7pm for another session of The Collective, SCFC’s helicopter pilot group.  A group of helicopter pilots and instructors that come together periodically to talk about helicopter lessons, helicopter flying, and helicopter adventures.  We know that we are a special breed, somewhat apart from the world of fixed-wing aviation, and a special breed sometimes needs a special meeting place.  That's us, The Collective, rising together into the world of helicopter flight.

This week, The Collective takes on Separating Helicopter Hype from Reality.  You’ve probably seen some pretty bad portrayals of helicopter flight in television and film.  You’ve also seen YouTube videos showing naive helicopter pilots attempting obviously dangerous or impossible tasks, with sometimes comic but often tragic results.  Helicopter is amazing, but pilots should learn to challenge the popular assumptions of helicopter forces and aerodynamics or risk serious disaster.

With the proper training and preparation, helicopters have been a safe form of flying since the 1940’s.  They are perfectly suited to some specific flight missions.  But they can be unforgiving to pilots who don’t take precautions to treat the aircraft with respect.  Don’t try towing a boat or carrying heavy loads with a rope tied to your helicopter.  Sling load operations are extremely dangerous and take specific training to be done safely.

The Collective is a group of helicopter pilots, for helicopter pilots, by helicopter pilots.  Occasionally, we let a helicopter enthusiast in that is not yet a pilot, but mostly we keep to ourselves.  Finally, we have a place to come together, learn about cool topics in more detail, listen to exciting guest speakers, analyze specific accidents or events in the industry, and have engaging conversations about everybody's aviation story.

Pilots who fly in should park in transient parking on the opposite side of the field and expect to walk about 10 minutes (.5 mile) to the Flight Center. Suite 215 is upstairs in the northwest corner. On occasion, rides may be prearranged through San Carlos Aviation and Supply.

San Carlos Flight Center was voted Best Flight School in the US in the 2013 AOPA Flight Training Excellence Awards. We are committed to promoting safety in general aviation through our evening safety seminar programs. For more information about this and any of our weekly seminars, please visit http://sancarlosflight.com/activities-and-events.