Hayward Air Rally offers EAA Air Academy scholarships
Fifty-fifth annual rally slated for May
The Hayward Air Rally, which lays claim to the longest continually held proficiency flying event in North America, is again offering scholarships to this summer’s EAA Air Academy. These scholarships, open to students between the ages of 16 and 18, will cover the cost of tuition and round-trip commercial air transportation to Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
The EAA Air Academy is a unique summer camp that elevates young people’s interest in aviation to the next level. Participants spend a week at the Air Academy Lodge in Oshkosh. The camp provides the foundation for a lifelong love of aviation, as well as the chance to create friendships with fellow aviation enthusiasts, said Mike Citro, a Hayward Air Rally volunteer.
Completed applications, including the required essay and references, must be received by Feb. 1. Scholarship winners will be announced by March 1.
Originally conceived by the mayor of Hayward, California, in 1964, the Hayward Air Rally's purpose is to enhance general aviation safety by encouraging pilot proficiency in basic flight planning, navigation, and fuel management techniques. Today the annual event is staged by Hayward Air Rally, Inc., a not-for-profit California public benefit corporation with IRS 501(c)(3) charitable organization status.
The event is not a race; crews fly against their planned time and fuel consumption. Every second, and fraction of a gallon, higher or lower than planned will earn penalty points. The rally emphasizes traditional flight planning and pilotage skills, and scoring is like golf—the lowest number wins. AOPA Pilot Technical Editor Mike Collins tagged along on the 2017 rally (see “Racing Against the Plan,” September 2017 AOPA Pilot).
During the 2017 rally, 13 teams—some with two pilots, others with one flying solo—sought to precisely calculate their flight times and fuel consumption for legs of 210 nautical miles and 297 nm, while zigzagging over generally unfamiliar and sometimes featureless terrain, seeking to identify occasionally obscure checkpoints below.
In 2018, first-time winners Rod Fite and Christopher Freeze took first place in the fifty-fourth annual Hayward Air Rally with a total score of 119 points.
For the past several years, the rally has launched from Hayward for Reno/Stead Airport in Nevada by way of Redding, California. However, the 2019 rally will feature a different destination: Laughlin/Bullhead International Airport in Bullhead City, Arizona. The event will be held May 17 through 20.
Organizers expect that more information and registration details for the 2019 Hayward Air Rally will be added soon to the website.
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