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The Hayward Air Rally is the longest continually held proficiency flying event in North America. Having grown out of a personal challenge between Hayward city officials in 1965, the rally has now been flying for 55 years! We are pleased to announce:

The 55th Annual Hayward Air Rally

Was completed May 16-18, 2019 from Hayward, CA (KHWD) to Laughlin/Bullhead, AZ (KIFP).

Congratulations to the 2019 winners:

Rod Fite and Hugh Gregg, Race 7

Rod and Hugh are officially elevated to the Masters Class for future Rallies.

Click on the links for complete information and results for the 2019 Rally

Countdown to the first starting flag:

click on the image above to download a PDF version of the 2019 poster

What is the Hayward Air Rally? The rally means different things to different pilots, but for all it's a combination of competition, challenge, and camaraderie. The event is open to all pilots (student and recreational pilots must be accompanied by a suitable pilot in command) and most piston-powered GA aircraft (including LSAs and experimentals).

Competition

The specifics of the rally course are released at the rally briefing. Participants flight plan for the course and produce flight time and fuel consumption estimates for each leg of the rally. Scoring is based upon the performance of the accomplished flight against the pre-flight estimates, course checkpoint identification, and navigation equipment used. Details on the competition structure may be found via the About links above.

Challenge

While competition rules allow for the use of GPS navigation (and even digital fuel totalizers), many participants elect to use the scoring system that allows only "traditional" radio-based navigation aids - even if their aircraft are GPS equipped. As a proficiency rally, the course is designed to exercise cross-country navigation and pilotage skills. Enroute checkpoints have included identification of such items as bridges, distinctive buildings, and unimproved (think emergency) landing strips.

Camaraderie

Not everyone who flies in the rally is in it for the competition. For some, the rally is simply a weekend getaway with a group of great fellow aviation enthusiasts. The rally provisions a "hospitality suite" at the destination hotel where participants can gather to socialize, hangar fly, and boast or commiserate over competition performance. There is ample free time to explore local points of interest prior to the awards banquet on Saturday.

A portion of each year's rally entry fees goes to fund EAA Air Academy scholarships for local students. We hope to inspire the next generation of aviation enthusiasts through this educational program!

Whichever reasons appeal to you, we hope you'll join us at the starting line for this year's Hayward Air Rally! Entry information may be found here.

Read the

September 2017 AOPA Pilot Feature Article

"Racing Against The Plan" by Mike Collins

Scholarships to EAA Air Academy

Each year the Rally offers scholarships to deserving students to attend the EAA Air Academy. In 2015, we sent three students to camp! The scholarship includes both tuition and airfare. This is an expensive but very worthwhile aspect of the Rally - aviation education.

If you would like to support this effort, even if you can't join us for the rally, please consider making a donation to help us defray the costs. If you are a member of EAA and you or your chapter have unused Young Eagle Credits, we can use those too! Please contact us to learn how to transfer those credits to support the scholarships.

Thank you!