Hiller Aviation Museum Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids
Hiller Aviation Museum
The front of the Hiller Aviation Museum. A Rutan Long-EZ is on the roof.
Established	June 1998
Location	San Carlos, California
Type	Aerospace museum
Collection size	50+ aircraft
Founder	Stanley Hiller Jr.

The Hiller Aviation Museum is a super cool place to learn about the history of airplanes and helicopters! It's located right next to the San Carlos Airport in San Carlos, California.

This museum has more than 50 real aircraft on display. You can also try out flight simulators and even sit in plane cockpits! It's a great way to explore the history of flying.

The museum was started by Stanley Hiller in June 1998. It focuses on the history of aircraft in Northern California and how helicopters were developed. It's also connected to the famous Smithsonian Affiliations program, which means it's a really important museum!

Visitors at a desktop flight simulator

Awesome Things to Do at the Museum
Explore Amazing Aircraft and Exhibits
Past Airshows and Events
Images for kids
See also

Awesome Things to Do at the Museum

The Hiller Aviation Museum offers special programs for young people. For example, if you are part of Scouts BSA, you can earn merit badges here. They offer programs for the Aviation Merit Badge and the Weather Merit Badge. It's a fun way to learn about flying and weather!

Explore Amazing Aircraft and Exhibits

This museum is home to over 50 different flying machines. These include airplanes, helicopters, and even some unique experimental aircraft. Each one has a display that tells its story and explains its part in flight history.

Here are just some of the cool aircraft and exhibits you can see:

1869 Marriott Avitor Airship (replica): See a copy of an early airship design.
1883 John Montgomery's Gull Glider (replica): Learn about one of the first gliders.
1903 Wright Flyer (replica): A copy of the famous plane flown by the Wright brothers.
1905 John Montgomery's Santa Clara Glider (replica): Another early glider design.
1908 J.C. Irvine's Aerocycloid (replica): A unique, circular flying machine design.
1910 Maupin-Lanteri Black Diamond: This plane was flown by the famous pilot Weldon B. Cooke.
1911 Eugene Ely’s Curtiss Pusher Model D (replica): A copy of a plane that made history.
1911 John Montgomery's Evergreen Glider: See another example of early glider technology.
1911 Wright Brothers Vin Fiz Flyer (replica): A copy of a plane that flew across the USA.
1914 “Little Looper” Pusher Biplane (replica): Designed by famous pilots Lincoln Beachey and Glenn Curtiss.
1917 Fokker Dr.I “Red Baron” Triplane (replica): A replica of the famous World War I fighter plane.
1928 Velie Monocoupe Model 70: A classic single-wing airplane.
1929 Pietenpol Air Camper: A popular home-built aircraft design.
1931 Buhl A-1 Autogiro: An early type of aircraft that used a spinning rotor for lift.
1935 Stearman-Hammond Y-1: This plane was used for training and even as a drone!
1944 Hiller XH-44 (replica): A copy of the first helicopter in the US with special stacked rotors.
1955 Hiller Flying Platform: An experimental aircraft designed to let one person fly low to the ground.
1955 Grumman HU-16(RD) Albatross: This specific plane was the first to fly all the way around the Earth!
1956 Hiller XROE-1 Rotorcycle Helicopter: A small, foldable helicopter for one person.
1957 Hiller VXT-8 Coleopter (replica): A copy of a very unusual vertical take-off aircraft.
1963 Fairchild Hiller FH-1100 Helicopter: A popular helicopter model.
1968 Shrike Commander: A twin-engine plane often used for business travel.
1969 Lockheed YO-3 Quiet Star: A special plane designed to be very quiet for observation missions.
1970 RotorWay Scorpion: A helicopter that people could build at home.
1971 Boeing 747 (The front 45 feet): See a huge part of a jumbo jet!
Fairchild 24: A classic light aircraft.
1973 Cessna 177 Cardinal: A popular single-engine plane.
1978 Rutan Defiant: This unique plane was designed and built by Burt Rutan himself.
1979 NASA AD-1 Oblique Wing Research Aircraft: An experimental plane with a wing that could pivot.
1983 Aero L-39 Albatros: A fast jet trainer from Eastern Europe.
2001 General Atomics MQ-1 Predator: A famous unmanned aerial vehicle (drone).
2004 SpaceShipOne (replica): A copy of the first private spacecraft to reach space.
2017 Kitty Hawk Flyer eVTOL (prototype): An early version of a flying car that takes off and lands vertically.
2017 Opener BlackFly eVTOL (test aircraft): Another test version of a personal flying vehicle.
2017 Wisk Aero Cora Gen5 eVTOL (demo aircraft): A demonstration model of a self-flying air taxi.
2018 Airbus Vahana (test aircraft): A test model of an electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft.

Past Airshows and Events

From 2000 to 2010, the museum hosted an annual helicopter airshow called Vertical Challenge. There was one final show in 2012. In some years, like 2011 and 2016, they held a different aviation event called Heli-Fest. These events brought many amazing helicopters and aircraft to the museum for everyone to see!