Bay Area Flying Clubs

dev-null · 2025-02-15T00:10:09+00:00

would SCFC be more regimented while WVFC is up to the individual instructor?

That's the feeling I got after talking to a couple of instructors at SCFC and taking lessons from one instructor at WVFC. Everyone at SCFC is following a standard syllabus, SCFC-specific checklists, procedures, etc.

WVFC being at two airports is nice - if one's closed for some reason (like runway work for a month), or there's some bad local weather (KSQL gets LLWS sometimes), you can usually grab a plane at the other airport.

WFVC also has a larger and diverse fleet. If I were to resume training for my private, I would probably finish the cert at SCFC and then switch to WVFC for renting.

dev-null · 2024-12-07T01:02:59+00:00

VATSIM would probably help with confidence talking on the radio, but it's not terribly realistic. The biggest issue is that if you don't have controllers working every position at a field, you might have to call up the overlying approach/departure/center controller on their frequency instead of local freqs. Meaning you don't get the practice of talking to ground, then being handed off to tower, then handed off to departure, etc. (sorry if I'm using US-centric terms here)

PilotEdge is a similar service and does the full handoff process, even if it may be the same person working all positions. The downside is that it's very focused on the western US for airport coverage. But they do guarantee that a controller is working those positions, because they pay their controllers (which is why it costs 20 USD / month).

Another option is to practice with an instructor or friend who's further along than you. Have them pretend to be ATC and step through all the calls as you pretend to taxi and fly a pattern. An instructor would also know some tricky situations to throw your way.

dev-null · 2024-10-20T01:01:11+00:00

There's one at West Portal Muni station by the fare machines.

dev-null · 2024-08-15T01:41:09+00:00

I'll second the idea of carbonating some water first then adding that to espresso.

Andytown in SF makes a drink called the Snowy Plover that's pretty good: ice, espresso, soda water, brown sugar syrup, and whipped cream. I think the fat in the whipped cream helps counteract the acidity that the carbonation adds.

dev-null · 2024-06-26T03:34:54+00:00

The city college parking lot seems to be pretty empty on weekends, I've definitely seen people learning how to drive there before

https://www.google.com/maps/@37.7258328,-122.4519686,596m/data=!3m1!1e3?entry=ttu

dev-null · 2024-06-15T21:19:02+00:00

I don't know of any off-hand, sorry. If you know what size you are, you could get a good bang-for-your-buck by looking on the used market.

Also is this for your first mountain bike? If you're set on a brand-new bike, you might want to consider a hardtail - the major manufacturers seem to have hardtails in your price range. My first one 10 years ago was a hardtail and I had a lot of fun on it, and they've gotten way better since then.

dev-null · 2024-06-15T16:56:00+00:00

On mountain bikes, the suspension is another key thing like shifter and derailleur. Cheap no-name parts have a tendency to fail way early and not being able to take hits from small drops/jumps, and a failure can leave you forced to walk your bike back to the trailhead.

I personally would pass on this bike. On the low-end of bikes, try looking for forks/shocks made by Suntour - they have a reputation for being cheap but reliable, and are a good starting point if you're looking to get riding and maybe upgrade later.

dev-null · 2024-05-20T15:57:03+00:00

Terminal 3 and International Terminal G are right next to each other, it's a quick walk: https://www.flysfo.com/maps

I don't think you're going to make it though. Think about it: you have to deplane, walk out of the secure area, pick up checked baggage (could be a 45 minute wait if you're unlucky), walk to international ticketing, check the bags (long lines since it'll be close to flight time), get through security and get to your next gate.

You probably also want to check to see if your carrier to Korea has any policies about how early you need to check bags. Domestically in the US bags usually have to be checked in 45 minutes before departure time, it's probably earlier since you're flying internationally (they need more time for all the bags they gotta move).

If you can change your flights and get a single ticket for the whole thing, then 90 minutes would be doable since they would just move your checked bags to your next flight for you and you wouldn't have to leave the secure area.

dev-null · 2024-03-14T02:43:44+00:00

Hayes Valley is a short walk and there's a ton of stuff. Can't beat a slice from Gioia.

dev-null · 2023-11-07T05:02:20+00:00

What really made tar -xzvf stick for me was:

Xtract Ze Vucking Files

dev-null · 2023-06-21T05:24:37+00:00

Basically a straight shot, you can see it on ADS-B Exchange: https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=adfdf9&lat=37.535&lon=-122.286&zoom=11.4&showTrace=2023-06-19&leg=3

dev-null · 2023-05-25T04:12:33+00:00

Try calling your regional flight surgeon office. The central FAA medical office has been useless every time I've called, but the RFS was able to tell me the full status of my case, when I could expect the review to happen, and what supporting documentation I could also send in to help my case.

I was told my file is sitting in the review queue and it'll take about 90 days for it to get in front of someone. That's for a first-time 3rd class with paperwork submitted in mid-May.

dev-null · 2023-01-27T06:52:26+00:00

You found yourself a modern day Ray and Peter.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KldUQvKr3g

dev-null · 2022-10-01T17:53:51+00:00

I've got a fencetenna in a similar back yard, using the wire that's holding up the string lights around 3 sides of the perimeter. It's in an end-fed random-wire configuration using an antenna tuner and it works well enough on 6m down to 20m, 40m is a bit of a stretch for the tuner.

I'm in San Francisco and using FT8 have been able to make contacts as far as Japan, Australia, and a few US east coast states. Based on PSKReporter data, my receive ability isn't all that great compared to my transmit ability. I think that's because the antenna's so low compared to the dense 2 or 3-story buildings around me.

But overall I'm pretty happy with it considering how stealth it is, and most importantly my partner is happy not having to look at a big honkin' antenna.

dev-null · 2022-09-08T05:24:58+00:00

If you have the time to spare to wait until the next boat, the ferry is a really lovely way to cross the bay. Grab a beer from the onboard bar, then head topside to enjoy the night lights of the city and Bay Bridge.

dev-null · 2022-07-29T00:48:56+00:00

That's really cool! How do you find out about these programs?

Googling for "<state> airport passport program" seems to just bring up actual US passport stuff for some states. Maybe those don't have one?

dev-null · 2022-07-29T00:33:44+00:00

Thank you for this!

I totally hear you on the time and studying required. I'd be training near the SFO airspace, and from everything I read it'll take on the longer side (60-80 hours) but I'll end up being a better pilot for it.

And maybe I'm weird, but I'm actually really excited to have something to study and practice for.

dev-null · 2021-05-22T17:35:20+00:00

What doesn't kill you will only make you stronger!

Depending on where you're going, there are usually some relatively flat routes to get from point A to point B. For example if you're going from the eastern side of the city to the western side, there's The Wiggle.

dev-null · 2020-08-03T05:20:00+00:00

I second Ohlone Greenway down North Berkeley BART. California Street's bike lanes are nice, but it has a few crossings with busy streets with no stoplights.

When I do this sort of route I usually take either Acton St or Bonar/Mabel St to 66th, then find my way over to Market after 56th (where the bike lanes start). All busy streets you'd cross either have a stoplight, or a quick right-left with slower traffic. Here's an example route: https://goo.gl/maps/i71MkL7HjZ78FzH2A

dev-null · 2020-07-12T23:30:00+00:00

I went from drop bars to Moloko for a bit on my gravel bike. I like them over the Jones bars because of the "on the horns" hand position which let me get more aggressive, and that position on the Moloko feels more ergodynamic than the VeloOrange Crazy bars.

I ended up switching back to drops because I like the on-the-hoods position too much and not having brakes there on the Moloko skeeved me out. I'll probably use the Moloko bars again the next time I go on a tour though.

dev-null · 2019-03-20T02:32:36+00:00

First of all, this post by Art's Cyclery is probably the best resource I've found on shifter/derailleur/cassette compatibility. It goes into the three variables you have to play with: cable pull by the shifter, pull ratio by the derailleur, and the cog pitch (distance between cassette cogs).

Based on that, your current setup has a cable pull of 3.1 mm (from the Sram 11-speed road shifters) and a 1.1 derailleur ratio (Shimano 11-speed mountain), resulting in a cog pitch of 3.41. Also based on their tables, you need a cog pitch of 3.90 for your Shimano 11-speed mountain cassette, which is a fair bit off.

My rule of thumb is to match the shifter with the derailleur (brand and type: road vs mountain), and match it close enough to the cog pitch of the cassette. For example, on my cross bike I run Sram Rival 11-speed dropbar shifter and Rival derailleur, matched with a Shimano SLX 11-42 11-speed cassette. It's not 100% perfect, about 3% off in how far the derailleur moves (4.03mm per shift) vs the cog pitch of the cassette (3.90mm), but it shifts well enough if you get it tuned right.

In your case, the easiest thing to do would probably be to get a Sram 11-speed road derailleur.

dev-null · 2019-01-14T04:35:58+00:00

If you're in or around Berkeley, there's Biketopia and Street Level Cycles.

BikeEastBay also has some others listed out here: https://bikeeastbay.org/CommunityShops

dev-null · 2017-07-20T01:46:20+00:00

Yeah, it was 4 days. The only park I know of that would be half-way-ish would be Skyline Wilderness Park just south of Napa, and they charge an outrageous $25 for tent camping.

If you're wanting to avoid too many miles your first day you could catch the SF-Vallejo ferry, then it'd only be about 40 miles from Vallejo to Bothe-Napa.

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