Hiller Aviation Museum - San Carlos, California

Ross M.

I love taking my grandson to this aviation museum. He loves all the interactive exhibits. The actual 747 cockpit is his favorite. You have to enter an exit through the gift shop so that is a little dicey as their prices are a bit steep at times. I did manage to get him a nice flying Styrofoam glider for less than $30 though and he loves it.!

Arthur K.

Awesome place for kids.
We were there for 4 hours with 5 and 8 year olds.
Stuff that the kids loved:
1. A place where you make paper airplanes and then there is a cool contraption that throws the airplane and you can aim the airplane and try to hit a target.
2. A place where you attach a toy paratrooper to a hook and then turn a handle to raise him high where he is released, and drops with the parachute, very cool.
3. A free simulator where you can control a very old plane with only 2 handles.
4. A paid simulator (5$ for 30 minutes) where you get to fly a n airplane using pedals, an airplane steering wheel and throttle controls.
5. A paid simulator (10$ for 10 minutes) where you get to fly in a cabin that moves with the movement of the airplane. You get to takeoff in oakland and land in san francisco with the help of an instructor.
6. A simulator of a quadcopter where you use a real professional controls to pilot it.
7. The front section of a real 747, including the actual cockpit where you can sit and press all the buttons. (it's outside of the museum so don't forget to go there)
8. There was also some 3d printers shop, where we didn't go but apparently you could print stuff there.

And that is besides all the totally awesome aricraft there.
This place is really fun and I really recommend it.

Jeff M.

There are many interesting aircraft, aircraft engine and helicopter exhibits here. Many are replicas sometimes at a smaller scale.
I came during the week and aside from the school kids for “camp” it wasn’t crowded.

The collection while interesting doesn’t feel like there’s a good story for why these specific items are displayed. Most exhibits have a plaque describing the item but typically don’t put the item in a broader aviation perspective.

The section about Hiller himself was the most interesting. I was not aware of his exploits as a young entrepreneur and later helicopter innovator.

Erik B.

There is a lot here. I think I went during a school camp because along with lots of airplane artifacts there were lots of kids. Honestly this is a great museum for kids, lots of places to interact and also some big open spaces for kids to sprawl out. Some pretty nifty planes too. A 747 section you can explore and an albatross HU16 which happens to be my favorite plane. It's not a huge museum, but certainly fun to stop by and wander for a bit.

Foodie T.

When you think a visit to the museum is boring, you might want to reconsider this one. Hiller aviation museum is entertaining and quite fun for both kids and adults. They have lots of planes from the early days, flight stimulator, a real plane for everyone to roam around, and a play area for kiddos to get creative. They even have summer camps for kiddos and a spot to celebrate birthdays!

If you’re still on the fence, a visit to the gift shop (free entrance), might change your minds 😉

Parking is spacious and you can’t miss this one because it’s next to the freeway.

Douglas A.

While relatively small by comparison to done aviation museums (Seattle, Smithsonian, Speyer) it makes up for this with a focus on experimental and rare aircraft. My favorite was a helicopter in a pod, designed to be air dropped and assembled in minutes to rescue people. There are lots of Hiller helicopters but also Burt Rutan aircraft. Many replicas of the first generation of aircraft as well.

There are also basically flight simulators, some free some paid. It looks will set up for school groups.

sergino *.

Beautiful museum, great fun and very entertaining for kids (but not only). A really interesting immersion in aviation and aircraft’s.
A pity that the museum’s shop has a gender issue: they’ve got only female pilots and astronauts puppets and characters and most of the books are about girls… looking forward to see a more inclusive approach that includes boys too!

Allison W.

This place is AMAZING!!! We are coming everytime they have an open cockpit day! My son LOVED climbing in the airplanes!!!

Still a great museum! And they have a fantastic summer camp program!

And we still absolutely love this museum!