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 60 years!

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We are pleased to announce

The 62nd Annual Hayward Air Rally

will be held May 29-30, 2026

The rally format will be similar to that of recent years: A mandatory course and safety briefing Friday afternoon, with a 1 leg rally to be flown Saturday. We plan to return to Sacramento McClellan (MCC) this year, with our awards banquet Saturday evening at the Aerospace Museum of California. We expect to post more deatils on the rally and our aviation scholarship in late February. Stay tuned!

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The 61st Annual Hayward Air Rally

was held May 30-31, 2025

Congratulations to Race 111, Michal Koenig, for winning the 61st Annual Hayward Air Rally!

Official Results

Raw Data Results

Checkpoint Answers

The 2025 Rally Course Handbook

The 2025 Rally Scoresheet

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The Hayward Air Rally Ray Hazel Memorial Scholarship

We are pleased to announce two winners of the Ray Hazel Memorial Scholarship for 2025:

Congratulations to Rafael Caro and Kayla Szulc! Rafael is a resident of Hayward and is currently attending the Aviation Institute of Maintenance. Kayla is studying at San Jose State University and is working towards her CFI. Both will receive an award of $2000. We wish them success in their endeavors!

We plan to post details regarding the 2026 scholarship later this fall. Please subscribe here for email updates.

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What is the Hayward Air Rally?

"It's like a scavenger hunt in the sky!" - Michelle MacDonald, 2024 Race 13

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 (the aforementioned scavenger hunt), 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.

Here is a quick look at how these elements come together at the rally:

Credit: Zhidao Leeroybruce (Aviate68 on YouTube)

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.

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Read the

September 2017 AOPA Pilot Feature Article

"Racing Against The Plan" by Mike Collins

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The rally over the years