Hiller Aviation Museum
Aircraft on display
Where Inspiration Takes Flight!
Dedicated to the dreams of flight and the innovations of aviation pioneers, the museum chronicles over a century of history and provides a glimpse into air transportation’s future.
Arnold AR-5 Designed and built in 1992 at Pinole, California by kitplane enthusiast Mike Arnold, the AR-5 was constructed of composite materials similar to those used by Mojave-based aviation innovator Burt Rutan. Its extreme light weight (under 500 lbs. empty) and...
Hiller YH-32 Hornet Conceived in the early 1950s as an ultra-lightweight helicopter, the original YH-32 was built as military research project but the helicopter itself was certified under civilian FAA regulations and first flew in 1954. It featured twin ramjet...
Beachey-Eaton Biplane San Francisco native Lincoln Beachey had established himself as a demonstration pilot working for Glenn Curtiss by the early 1910s. During one set of flight demonstrations his "double ended" Curtiss Pusher, equipped with both forward and rear...
Wright Model EX (Replica) Derived from the Wright Model B, the EX had shorter-span wings and was designed for flight demonstrations. Unlike earlier Wright airplanes, the EX had wheeled landing gear which facilitated takeoffs without the aid of a catapult or special...
Thaddeus Kerns Inspired by accounts of the earliest public flights of Wilbur and Orville Wright in 1908, Chico resident Thaddeus Kerns constructed and flew a hang glider of his own construction at the age of sixteen. In 1910, he built and flew an airplane patterned...
Hiller UH-12 Stanley Hiller Jr.'s first helicopters featured dual, counter-rotating main rotors to eliminate the need for a tail rotor mechanism. While mechanically efficient and extremely stable, this arrangement created some difficulties with regards to control. ...
Aero Commander 500 Imagined as a business plane based on the much-larger Douglas A-20 Havoc attack aircraft of World War II, the Aero Commander first flew in 1948. By the standards of the time the Aero Commander provided a large cabin able to accommodate four...
Cessna 177 Cardinal Designed by Cessna as a more modern replacement for its popular four-seat Cessna 172 Skyhawk, the 177 introduced several design innovations. A rearward-set wing enhanced pilot visibility, as did the removal of external struts. The shift in wing...
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