The Hayward Executive Airport unveiled a $3.97 million new administrative office last Thursday, upgrading the World War II fighter jet base.

“…our customers are unique, by definition, because they own airplanes, they travel around and see other facilities,” said McNeely. “They see what state of the art is, particularly in big cities, and our old facility wasn’t really state of the art.”

The new building was entirely self-funded by the airport itself and took about a year to complete. It replaces the old building constructed in 1961. Last year alone, around 100,000 flights were operated at the airport.

The old office had the bottom two floors while the Federal Aviation Administration still occupies the top three. While this worked for a long time Hayward Executive Airport Manager Doug McNeely says they were running out of room.

In the new design there are new offices for staff and a new meeting room that seats 44 people, while the old one could only seat 15. A main corridor inside the building leads to a pilots’ lounge and observation deck where anyone can watch planes land and takeoff. Along this observation deck are panels that not only run samples of live air traffic control from the control tower next door, but also suggest careers in general aviation.

An executive airport is another term for general aviation airport. General aviation is a term used by the FAA and that term encompasses all aviation in the United States except for commercial airline and military flights.

Jonathan Bishop is an instructor for California Airways, one of the airport’s five flight schools. A fixed based operator offers pilot supplies, aircraft rentals, flight instruction, simulators, and classes. Bishop’s FBO is run out of the Hayward Airport Plaza on Hesperian Boulevard and they’ve always shared their lot with the Hayward Executive Airport.

“The new airport administrative building makes the airport a little bit more appealing to the community,” said Bishop. “Therefore it may attract more people to the property and we could benefit from that increase in foot traffic.”

The airport’s flight programs allow for people of all ages to experience flying in a private airplane. Castro Valley High School Teacher Bob Vanderban’s son, Preston Vanderban, attended AeroCamp at one of these schools when he was thirteen.

“He got to fly from the Hayward airport to Livermore,” said Bob Vanderban.

Aside from flight schools and the new Airport Administrative Building, he said the airport has always benefited the community of Hayward in one of two ways.

“One is according to the results of an independent study that found that we not only contribute 300 million dollars annually to the local economy but we also contribute 300 jobs to the community as well,” said McNeely. “The second is the public services we provide, the airport was started by a lot of community services.”