Hiller Aviation Museum
Hiller Aviation Museum uses aviation as a gateway for people to embrace adventure and innovation while using tools of science to explore how the physical world works and how the dream of flight is made into reality. The Hiller Aviation Museum was opened to the public in 1998 by helicopter designer and inventor Stanley Hiller Jr. and features a collection of more than 50 aircraft representing more than a century of aviation history. Interactive exhibits and hands-on demonstrations offer immersive experiences that improve understanding of STEM subjects and are unique resources for nurturing academic success by providing examples of real-world applications of technology. These interactive exhibits include our Invention Lab, Drone Plex, and flight simulators. Core Museum programs for children in grades Pre-K through 12 promote STEM learning and engagement with hands-on activities featuring cutting edge curricula and learning technologies. Programs include: • School Field Trips • Aviation Camp • Aero Design Challenge • Afterschool Aviators (at school and library sites) More than 110,000 visitors experience Hiller Aviation Museum annually, including 57,000 youth. Each year more than 10,000 students, in grades Pre-K through 12 representing 250 different Bay Area schools, visit the Museum on school field trips. About 33% of field trip schools have significant populations of underprivileged youth and visit the Museum at free or reduced cost through our Field Trip Assistance Program, which is underwritten by generous donors. The Museum hosts several major annual events including: Biggest Little Air Show, Smithsonian Museum Day, and Noon Years. The Museum can also be rented for private events, such as corporate functions, birthday parties, weddings, etc. Two major annual fundraisers support the Museum. A Benefit Gala dinner & auction is hosted every fall. The Airport Runway Run 2K/5K/10K walk and run takes place at San Carlos Airport each spring.
