California Airways
Flight training from Private Pilot through Commercial Pilot at Hayward Executive Airport.
Checked September 13, 2026 by Samip Shah, CFI, CFII, AGI
At a glance
- 6 aircraft across 5 types.
Basics
| Certificates | Private Pilot, Instrument Rating, Commercial Pilot |
|---|---|
| Website | california-airways.com |
| Phone | (510) 887-7686 |
Aircraft and rates
6 aircraft · 5 types
- At this school
- 2
- Built
- 1980 to 1981
- Rate
- $180/hr
| Tail | FAA model | Built | Rate (wet) |
|---|---|---|---|
| N52275Cessna 172P | Cessna 172P | 1980 | $180/hr |
| N64087Cessna 172P | Cessna 172P | 1981 | $180/hr |
Model and year from the FAA aircraft registry, November 9, 2026.
| Instruction | Not published |
|---|
Rates are wet. Two more aircraft are on the fleet page without a price: the Piper Seneca PA-34-200T twin (N2849P) and N733PV.
Checked September 13, 2026 · California Airways fleet page
Airport
Aerial imagery: USDA NAIP imagery via the USGS National Map
Weather
What counts as a flyable day
Clouds no lower than 3,000 feet and visibility of 5 miles or more (VFR weather) for at least half the hours between 9 am and 5 pm. Hourly observations from the airport's own weather station, 2016 to 2025. Source: Iowa Environmental Mesonet ASOS archive, Iowa State University.
Discovery flight
$300
Checked November 3, 2026
The school does not say how long the flight is. An after-hours introductory flight is $400.
Paying for it
Two ways to pay for it.
Win what you can first, then borrow only what is left.
- Money you keepScholarships you could apply for43 open to anyone, plus 1 in California. Top awards reach $22,200.
- Hiller Aviation Museum Flight Training Scholarship$15,000 · San Francisco Bay Area · Opens Feb 5, 2027
- 44
- Money you pay backLenders that fund flight trainingSix lenders, compared on the limits and rates they publish. That is what is on offer, not whether you would be approved.
- 6
What to ask when you call
Not on their website
What do you charge per hour for flight instruction, and is ground instruction billed at the same rate?
Ground instruction is often billed at a different rate.
Also ask
What does the Seneca rent for, and is there a separate multi-engine instructor rate?
The twin is on the fleet page with no price, so the multi rating cannot be budgeted at all from what is published.
The Arrow is the only retractable. Is it available for the Commercial complex time at the same $190?
It's priced the same as a fixed-gear 172R.
Do you offer block rates or prepay discounts, and what is the refund policy if I stop partway?
Block discounts are rarely published, and the refund terms matter more than the discount.
What do you charge for the written test, the checkride, and the examiner's fee?
The examiner's fee alone runs $800 to $1,200 in most of the country.
How many trainers and how many full-time instructors do you have right now?
Availability sets your pace, and pace drives your total more than the hourly rate.
Called them? Send us what they said.
Send the number over and California Airways gets a full listing with an estimate, marked as sourced by phone on the date you called.
Send what they told youIn the app
Track your training at California Airways.
California Airways is in the PilotBound app. Choose California Airways when you set up and enter the rates it gives you; the app prices your training on them and tracks every flight you log against the projection.
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Is this your school?
Send California Airways's rate card and this page gets an estimate. Or have it removed.
Sources
- That the school exists
- California Airways fleet pageChecked September 13, 2026
- Rates
- California Airways fleet pageChecked September 13, 2026
PilotBound is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by California Airways. School names are used only to identify the school. Rates shown are the school's own published figures with the date they were checked. This page carries no PilotBound estimate, because the school does not publish enough for one. Disclaimer & removal policy.
Plan the money before you commit.
A program price only makes sense next to what each rating costs on its own, what scholarships exist, and what borrowing actually looks like.
What each rating costs
Per-rating ranges, with the fees most quotes leave out.
Scholarships first
Verified flight training scholarships. Every scholarship dollar is a dollar you never finance.
If you borrow
Compare lenders and see the real monthly payment before you sign.