Airport Day ready for takeoff: San Carlos Airport invites community to come for a visit

Attendees can expect a unique array of aircraft on display, airport tours, children’s helicopter rides and food prepared by gourmet trucks.

“Airport Day is about showing the airport to the public, San Carlos Airport is one of the town’s hidden treasures,” said Brent Carstens, a marketing intern for the San Carlos Flight Center.

The San Carlos Flight Center, opened in March 2012, is a flying club, provides aerial tours and is a flying school.

Carstens said the event has just as much to do with increasing the visibility of the organizations and groups surrounding the airport as it does with the site itself.

Dan Dyer, owner and instructor at the San Carlos Flight Center, said the area has a significant historical aviation heritage, to go along with its importance in serving the community.

“The airport itself has a really good history of flight training, there’s always been a lot of schools operating out of here, flying clubs operating out of here, it’s a very social airport,” Dyer said.

The San Carlos Flight Center is an active member of the community through outreach activities, such as sponsoring local baseball, high school arts programs and scholarships.

“Instead of hanging out on Laurel Street, you could come hang out at the airport, and understand that we’re all connected together [as a community],” Dyer said.

Aviation novices can learn about the subject during Airport Day, Dyer said.

“If you learn to fly here, because of the rest of the airspace — the Bay Area is very sophisticated with all of the big airports — you become a very competent pilot in dealing with congested airspace, whereas, if you learn to fly, even out in Modesto, you don’t have to deal with anything,” Dyer said.

Jim Wadleigh, airport operations deputy manager, said the area will be busy as the airport will still be in operation during the event to go along with helicopter and plane rides for attendees.

Located at its current site since 1948, the San Carlos Airport is home to more than 500 small aircraft and 25 aviation-related businesses. San Carlos Airport hosts air ambulance, law enforcement aviation, emergency response craft, charter airlines, aerial photography and flight training services. The airport is owned and operated by San Mateo County.

For more information go to www.sancarlosairportday.com.