Young Aviators Summer Program
795 Skyway Road, Suite A, San Carlos, CA 94070
About
The Young Aviators Summer Program includes daily ground briefing sessions, flight training, classroom training, associated homework assignments, group flight briefings, afternoon group training sessions, and group events. It is a nine-week intensive flight training program offered by San Carlos Flight Center for high school students interested in becoming a pilot, and it runs Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm during the summer between school years. All flight training in the program is toward competency standards with clear performance measurements at every stage, using real-world, scenario-based training.
• Ages: 16–18 years old
• Schedule: Nine-week intensive program, Monday to Friday, 9am–5pm (June 8 – August 7, 2026)
• Price: Young Aviators Summer Program participants are charged a $1,800 sign-up fee at the start of the program to cover Private Pilot Ground School, three months of SCFC Club membership dues, and a summer’s worth of group flight briefings, afternoon group training sessions, and all group events. After each flight, the student’s account is charged an amount equal to the cost of aircraft flight time and instructor time for that lesson, with students often investing $20,000 or more into flight training.
San Carlos Flight Center states that its founding principles are Safety, Community, and Adventure, and that it measures success in flight training by its ability to create or develop safe, competent, proficient pilots in the most efficient manner possible. Ground Schools in this program contain lectures taught by the Chief Pilot team. The Upwind Foundation is a non-profit organization that every year selects some high school students and funds their training through the Young Aviators Summer Program. The organization encourages the social nature of flying by creating events that draw pilots together in a friendly and inclusive environment and states that it reaches out to the community and strives to have a positive impact on the world around it. Students in the program need FAA books as study materials and some tools and equipment used in flight training, and should have taken a Demo Flight, obtained at least a 3rd Class aviation medical certificate, and attended and passed Private Pilot Ground School before the beginning of summer.
Last updated May 16, 2026.
• Ages: 16–18 years old
• Schedule: Nine-week intensive program, Monday to Friday, 9am–5pm (June 8 – August 7, 2026)
• Price: Young Aviators Summer Program participants are charged a $1,800 sign-up fee at the start of the program to cover Private Pilot Ground School, three months of SCFC Club membership dues, and a summer’s worth of group flight briefings, afternoon group training sessions, and all group events. After each flight, the student’s account is charged an amount equal to the cost of aircraft flight time and instructor time for that lesson, with students often investing $20,000 or more into flight training.
San Carlos Flight Center states that its founding principles are Safety, Community, and Adventure, and that it measures success in flight training by its ability to create or develop safe, competent, proficient pilots in the most efficient manner possible. Ground Schools in this program contain lectures taught by the Chief Pilot team. The Upwind Foundation is a non-profit organization that every year selects some high school students and funds their training through the Young Aviators Summer Program. The organization encourages the social nature of flying by creating events that draw pilots together in a friendly and inclusive environment and states that it reaches out to the community and strives to have a positive impact on the world around it. Students in the program need FAA books as study materials and some tools and equipment used in flight training, and should have taken a Demo Flight, obtained at least a 3rd Class aviation medical certificate, and attended and passed Private Pilot Ground School before the beginning of summer.
Last updated May 16, 2026.
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