About Us
The United Flying Club Inc. is a California nonprofit mutual benefit corporation formed in 1947 and based at San Carlos Airport.
Our purpose is to provide our members a means to engage in safe, General Aviation flying, in mutually owned aircraft, and to provide low cost training from experienced member instructors
We are not a for profit flight school, or a for profit flying club in which aircraft are leased out. We are a true cooperative – a club.
Board of Directors
William Herrick –President
Bill Herrick used to work for United Airlines as Finance Manager at both Headquarters and the MOC and is a CPA. He currently holds an ATP certificate pilot and acts as the Club’s President, financial planner, and accountant.
Brian Irion – Vice President
Brian Irion has been United Flying Club’s Vice President and a board member since February of 2017. Brian joined UFC as a student pilot in 2014 after finishing ground school at Tradewinds Aviation at Reid-Hillview Airport in San Jose (KRHV) and beginning his flight training at San Carlos Flight Center. He received his private pilot rating in September of 2015 and became instrument rated in May of 2017, both while as a member of United Flying Club. When not flying, Brian is an attorney whose practice includes corporate and business law, and civil and bankruptcy litigation.
Peter Gum – Secretary/Treasurer
Peter Gum is club Secretary/Treasurer. His interest in flying goes back to childhood where he built plastic and balsa models, flew powered U control line and radio-controlled gliders, and became briefly airborne on a bamboo hang glider. He didn’t pursue flying again until twenty years later when he learned to fly at Diamond Aviation (SQL) in a Katana and joined the Hewlett Packard Flying Club (PAO), flying a 172, where he eventually became president. A decade later, he joined United Flying Club where he’s now IFR, complex, with over 1,000 hours, several of which cover adventurous flights spanning the West Coast and Oshkosh, WI.
Tom O’Donnell – Flight Manager
Tom is United Flying Club’s Flight Manager. His duties include the maintenance of club flight-check records, monitoring flight check currency status of the membership, direction of safe flight operations, and approval of all flight instructors before they are allowed to instruct in Club aircraft. The flight manager must hold a valid flight instructor certificate issued by the FAA.
Bernie Gradwohl – Maintenance Manager
Bernie is United Flying Club’s Maintenance Manager. He has held this position since 2013. Though Bernie no longer flys, he was lead mechanic with United Airlines in its SFO hub for 40 years.
Board Advosor: Dave Everhart – Membership Chair
Dave works for United Airlines as an aviation electronics technician. He has been a member of United Flying Club since 2012. Dave conducts hangar checks, orientations, and applicants’ questions, organizes events, documents minutes of the board meetings, and does many more things. He has over 500 hours hours flight time and enjoys evening and night flights to Harris Ranch for dinner with his wife.