Issues

Development of the Airport ... and the Neighbors Be Damned! — The City of Hayward is radically altering the nature of its airport. No longer a rural airstrip serving the recreational "needs" of a small number of small-plane owners, the Hayward airport is surrounded by congested urban development, and is home to constant buzzing activity. The City's ambition to turn its airport into a thriving corporate center ignores the safety and quality of life of thousands of neighboring residents.

Interest in Helicopter Touring Increases in the Bay Area — Does Hayward want a piece of the action? (Sept. 27, 2011)

The City of Livermore Votes to Limit Development of Its Airport — Why is Hayward so pig-headed? (March 24, 2010)

Radical Decline in Small-plane Pilots Drives City to Court Jets — The number of licensed private pilots in the United States has plummeted 36 percent since 1980. (Dec. 22, 2008)

Small Airport Expansion Is Subsidized by Federal Dollars — The City of Hayward doesn't spend one cent of its own money on "airside development" of the airport. (April 16, 2007)

Up to 14,000 New Regional Aircraft Forecast Over Next 20 Years (June 1, 2000)

Regional Passenger Service Gaining at Small Airports (May 21, 2000)

Study Says Public Support Needed for Expansion of General Aviation Airports — An example (from the National Air Transportation Association) of how aviation fanatics proceed with their own vision of reality. (May 9, 2000)

Corporate Jets Are Moving to Suburban Airports — Because of changes at San Jose, Oakland, and San Francisco International Airports, noncommercial aircraft are increasingly using outlying airports like Hayward. In fact, Hayward's plan to expand its airport is based on the expectation that business jets will shift from the Big Three to the Hayward Airport. (The official name of the airport was changed to Hayward Executive Airport in early 1999. According to the airport's director at the time, the change was made to "portray a more business-friendly image of Hayward as the premier Executive Airport in the Bay Area.")

Between 1998 and 2006 the number of business jets based at Hayward Airport increased from five to 32! Among the 8 airports in the nine-county Bay Area that support business-jet operations, Hayward Airport had about 6 percent of all business jets in 1998-1999, but by 2006 it had 24 percent! See articles about corporate jets and suburban airports.

Noise Abatement — The Hayward Airport has a "fly friendly" program that encourages pilots to follow take-off patterns that reduce noise impacts on residential neighborhoods surrounding the airport. The program is voluntary, not mandatory, and FAA air traffic controllers are not involved). Several other measures could be implemented to reduce noise impacts.

Plane Mufflers Could Reduce Some Airport Noise (Jan. 30, 2013)

Techniques Pilots Can Use to Minimize Aircraft Noise (Aug. 2001)

Safety — The majority of take-offs from the Hayward Airport are "touch and go" training flights, where the pilot (often a student) takes off, returns to the runway without stopping, and then takes off again. These departures occur primarily over San Lorenzo homes. The purpose of such flying is to "earn hours" to meet licensing requirements.

Documents

City of Hayward Ordinances/Regulations

Hayward Aircraft Noise Ordinance (Hayward Municipal Code Secs. 2-6.119 through 2-6.127) — The City of Hayward enacted its first airport noise ordinance in 1975. It has been revised twice. The present version was enacted in 1991.

Airport Rules and Regulations and Minimum Standards (Hayward Municipal Code Secs. 2-6.00 through 2-6.118) — Anyone engaged in "aeronautical activity" at the airport must comply with these regulations (sec. 2-6.06). Anyone who does not comply can be prohibited from using the airport, including landing and take off (sec. 2-6.13). (Link is to 3 MB PDF file at City of Hayward's website.)

Court Cases

National Aviation v. City of Hayward — In this case in federal court a tenant of the Hayward Air Terminal challenged the city's 1975 aircraft noise ordinance. The court ruled that a city that owned an airport could regulate aircraft noise through an ordinance. The court's opinion stated an important rule of law that is cited even today by other courts.

Wood v. City of Hayward — Some pilot-activists contended that the City of Hayward did not own the fee simple title to the airport property. In this case the city's title was challenged. The trial court dismissed the suit and the plaintiffs appealed.

San Jose v. Superior Court — The airport is not required by the state's Public Records Act to disclose the identity of persons who complain about airport noise.

Maps/Photos/Diagrams

Area Surrounding the Airport

Aerial Photogaph of Hayward Airport (1946)

Aerial Photogaph of Hayward Airport (2006)

Air Traffic Map of the Airport

Hayward Airport Facilities (1997)