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News and Announcements:

2022 Course Information and Results

AOPA ePilot Article on 2020 Rally

Digital Class Scoring Changed

AOPA Pilot feature article

(Sep 2017 issue)

AOPA ePilot Article

General Aviation News Article

History: 1970-1978 Results now available!

Check out the 1st Timer page if you would like more information about this event.

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Visits Since
December 31, 1997

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 58 years!

We are pleased to announce

The 59th Annual Hayward Air Rally

May 19-20, 2023

Is now open for registration!

Download and post the rally flyer!

For 2023, we are significantly changing the event format to allow for greater participation. Instead of a long-weekend destination, this year's rally will be a 1 leg event originating at Hayward and returning to Livermore. Other than a mandatory course and safety briefing Friday afternoon, all rally events will occur on Saturday.

A tentative schedule of events will be as follows:

Friday May 19:

Noon - 4P - Early arrival checkin
4P - Mandatory course and safety briefing (on-site and Zoom)

Saturday May 20:

7:30-9:30A - Arrivals and checkin
10A - Fly!
1-5P - Lunch and social
5P - Awards
6P - Hospitality suite

2023 Entry Information and Registration Package

Countdown to the first starting flag:

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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.

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.

Scholarship Programs

Coming soon: A new Hayward Air Rally Aviation Scholarship!

For the past decade, the Hayward Air Rally has provided full tuition scholarships to the EAA Air Academy for deserving students in the Bay Area. Unfortunately, due to declining rally participation, increasing costs, and logistical challenges administering this scholarship, we have decided to suspend the Air Academy Summer Camp Scholarship.

We are working on creating a new scholarship to award monetary support to students endeavoring to join in the exciting world of aviation. Students aged 18 and older will qualify, whether they're embarking on a new career in aviation, or changing tracks from a different career. We hope to begin taking applications in April. Stay tuned for further information by signing up for here email updates.

The 58th Annual Hayward Air Rally

Was held June 3-6, 2022 from Hayward, CA (KHWD) via Redding, CA (KRDD) to Bend, OR (KBDN)

Congratulations to Rob Kirkpatrick and Chris Lea, Race 8

Winners of the 2022 Hayward Air Rally

For 2022, we returned to our long weekend format and headed north to Bend, Oregon, a racer-favorite destination.

Full 2022 Course information here.

Full historical rally results here.

In an effort to allow people to have Thursday and most of Friday for work or other activities we shifted the schedule out by a day:

Friday June 3: Impound and Course/Safety Briefing
Saturday June 4: Fly!
Sunday June 5: Fun day and Awards Dinner
Monday June 6: Head home

Another new idea for 2022: The Half-Rally Practice Option
If you would like to give the Rally a try with a smaller time commitment, consider this idea. You will participate in the Course and Safety Briefing, flight plan, submit your time and fuel estimates and fly just the first leg (HWD-RDD) of the Rally to get a practice score. After refueling in Redding, you are free to fly home at your leisure. Half-Rally participants will not be eligible for prizes or trophies. This is an opportunity to learn what is required and practice with our official scoring system and get ready to fly with us next year. There is a nominal fee of $25 to help cover our administrative and printing costs.