San Carlos Airport Association

Lessons Learned - by Ken Steiner

marco — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 07:50:06 +0000

Please see our achived aviation safety articles here

Peninsula Park Developer Agrees to Provide Avigation Easement

marco — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 07:07:50 +0000

SCAPA is pleased to announce that the developer of the Peninsula Park project in Redwood City has agreed to provide an avigation easement to San Mateo County. This will ensure that everyone who buys property on this site will be notified in writing that they are close to an airport and can expect to have aircraft flying overhead on a regular basis.Experience nationwide has shown that avigation easements reduce noise complaints and protect new residents since they are fully aware that they are buying a home near an airport. Peninsula Park is a scaled-down version of the Marina Shores project that had been proposed for this site near the intersection of Whipple Rd. and 101. The overall building heights will not exceed 150 feet.

In exchange for providing the avigation easement, SCAPA agreed not to oppose the Peninsula Park project in any way, to notify our members of this agreement and to request our members not to oppose the Peninsula Park project in any way.

Facts About San Carlos Airport

marco — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 07:30:30 +0000

The San Carlos Airport, operated by the Department of Public Works of the County of San Mateo, is a valuable asset of the community. It is currently home to approximately 460 general aviation planes which are owned in approximate equal numbers by 1) Individuals,

2) Businesses,

3) Flight Schools and

4) Flying Clubs and other multi-owner organizations.

In all, approximately 2,500 area pilots fly aircraft that are based at San Carlos. Many thousands more planes operated by other individuals and businesses visit this airport every year. Small wonder! This community is surrounded by a viable economy where other modes of ground-based transportation are crowded to the limit!

The runway is just 2,600 feet long but is able to accommodate most piston-powered planes and several models of turbo-prop business aircraft. Planes with a maximum gross weight in excess of 12,500 pounds are prohibited from using San Carlos Airport, even if operated at less than 12,500 pounds.

A voluntary noise abatement procedure is in use at San Carlos Airport.

The air traffic control tower at San Carlos Airport provides services to pilots 14 hours per day, 365 days per year. In 1998, San Carlos generated 154,000 aircraft “activities.” (An activity is a landing, a take off or touch-and-go–a training maneuver.)

San Carlos Airport is a small part of the national airport system that involves 600,000 aircraft and 2,000 airports nationwide.

The airport is located next to the Bayshore Freeway (U.S. Highway 101) in San Carlos, adjacent to the Holly Street off ramp on the bay side of the freeway. This airport has been in its present location since 1950. Before that, it was on the opposite side of the freeway further south, where Levitz Furniture is now located. The original airport, constructed in the early 1930s was known as Cooley Field, and was located just northwest of the present airport site.

The airspace around San Carlos Airport is a complex maze of restricted flight corridors involving not only San Francisco International Airport but at least a dozen other busy airports in the San Francisco Bay Area. The existing San Carlos traffic pattern, noise abatement procedure and approach / departure paths are part of a very elaborate system that makes up San Francisco Bay airspace plan.

New Access Codes for the Vehicle Gates at SQL

Administrator — Fri, 02 Mar 2007 00:53:42 +0000

The access codes for the vehicle gates at San Carlos Airport are being changed in response to several recent vehicle incursions. The new access codes will be provided with your airport billing statement or you can contact the airport office for the new code of the vehicle gate closest to your aircraft.

Both the old code and the new code will open the vehicle gates until April 15, 2007, at which time the old code will be removed from the system. The access codes for the pedestrian gates are not being changed at this time. Please use discretion in giving out the gate code only to those individuals with a legitimate need to be on the Airport and an understanding of the rules and requirements for operating vehicles on the Airport.

Remember that aircraft have the right-of-way at all times; unauthorized vehicles are prohibited on the movement areas; and the maximum speed limit on the airport apron areas is 10 mph. Please also remember to stop after passing through a gate to ensure that no vehicles *tail-gate* into the airport behind you. Please pull up past the sensor loops in the pavement when you stop in order for the gate to close behind you. Security concerns should be reported to airport staff at SQL at (650) 573-3700 and HAF at (650)573-3701.

Noise Abatement Procedures

Administrator — Fri, 02 Feb 2007 01:05:23 +0000

San Carlos Airport is surrounded by noise sensitive areas. By using your aircraft’s quietest departure techniques and following the guidelines and procedures below, we can reduce the noise impact on our neighbors. The San Carlos Airport Pilots Association has adopted a Good-Neighbor-Policy and requests that resident and visitor aircraft comply with the voluntary noise abatement procedures described below.

Please Use Common Sense and Be Considerate to Airport Neighbors

Reduce power/RPM as soon as safe and practical.**
Avoid flying over homes in extremely noise sensitive areas.
Departing traffic use Runway 12, wind permitting.
Please consider the noise impact of your pattern flying activities. If able, fly after 10 a.m. on weekend and holiday mornings.
No touch-and-goes when the Tower is not in operation.
IFR departures: Give consideration to your noise impact.
Helicopter operations: Contact airport office for procedures.

**Most aircraft noise is generated by propeller tip noise. This is especially true when propeller tip speeds approach supersonic speeds. Even a small deduction of 100 or 200 RPM can produce a significant decrease in noise levels.

In addition, we ask your cooperation in restricting operations to:

On Weekdays: No touch-and go, low-approach or full stop-taxi back operations on Weekdays during the period from two (2) hours after sunset of one day and 8:00 a.m. of the following day, Monday through Friday; and until 9:30 a.m. on Saturday.

Sunset times are averaged on monthly basis for the purposes of these restrictions.
No touch-and-go, low approach, or taxi back operations Monday - Friday after:

`January: 19:00`	`February: 19:30`	`March: 20:00`
`April: 21:30`	`May: 22:00`	`June: 22:30`
`July: 22:00`	`August: 22:00`	`September: 21:00`
`October: 20:30`	`November: 19:00`	`December: 19:00`

On Weekends and Holidays: No touch-and go, low-approach or full stop-taxi back operations before 9:30 a.m. nor after 6:00 p.m. on any Saturday, Sunday or Holiday.

For a visual representation of the noise abatement procedures click

HERE

For more information, comments or suggestions, please contact:
San Carlos Airport
620 Airport Drive, San Carlos, CA 94070
(650) 573-3700, FAX (650) 593-3762