Helicopter Adventure
Upcoming dates:
Sunday, May 7, 11 AM – 12 PM
Sunday, June 11, 11 AM – 12 PM
Sunday, July 9, 11 AM – 12 PM
Wednesday, August 23, 11 AM – 12 PM
Event included with Museum admission. Free for Museum Members.
Advanced tickets available on VBO Tickets
Discover the world of vertical flight!
Each Helicopter Adventure starts with an introduction to the development of rotary-wing aircraft and explanation of the parts of the helicopter using a real Scorpion aircraft. Then, participants build and fly their own paper helicopters and climb aboard the cockpit of the Scorpion for themselves!
Event is included with Museum admission.
Glider Discovery Day
Upcoming dates:
Sunday, March 26, 11 AM – 12 PM
Sunday, May 28, 11 AM – 12 PM
Sunday, June 18, 11 AM – 12 PM
Wednesday, July 12, 11 AM – 12 PM
Event included with Museum admission. Free for Museum Members.
Event dates and/or format subject to change if required by public health orders.
Advanced tickets available on VBO Tickets
Discover the world of flight in a special outdoor family event!
Learn the names of the different parts of the airplane, then join in the fun the help build a full-size Penguin airplane! Then, assemble a balsa wood glider and join a fun festival of flight outdoors in the museum’s Courtyard. Each child receives a glider to take home!
Event is included with Museum admission.
Narrow Gauge Trains and Railways
25th EuroWest Model Train Show
Saturday, July 15, 2023 10 am – 5 pm
Sunday, July 16, 2023 10 am – 4 pm
Event included with Museum admission.
One of the Bay Area’s premiere model train expos.
- Multiple Operating European Model Train layouts
- Clinics and Lectures
- Fun Contests for Young and Old
- Sales Tables
- Children’s Activities
- Raffle Prizes
- Manufacturer and Distributor Displays
Bonus: One large European Model Train Layout will be continuously running Saturday July 9 – Sunday July 17.
Tickets available online through VBO Tickets
Kids’ Air Fair Participants
Join the fun at the Hiller Aviation Museum’s annual summer celebration of flight! Local aviation and public safety professionals bring their aircraft and vehicles to the Museum for a special show-and-tell session, while the museum opens the doors of many of its most popular aircraft! Kid-friendly activities abound, including balsa glider construction, paint-a-plane, paper helicopter construction and so much more!
Wednesday, July 19, 10:00 am – 1:00 pm
Event included with Museum admission.
Pre-purchase tickets available on VBO Tickets
Emergency Service Vehicles*
- Redwood City Fire Engine
- San Mateo County Sheriff Patrol Car
- California Highway Patrol Car
* Emergency Service participation is subject to change
Kids’ Activities
- Paint-A-Plane
- Open Cockpits (747, HU-16 Albatross, L-39 Jet, Scorpion Helicopter, Aero Commander)
- Exhibit Scavenger Hunt
- Glider Construction Station
- Whirly-Twirly Construction Station
- Penguin Build-a-plane
- Obstacle Course Bounce House
- San Mateo County Library Van
- Drone Plex Flight Simulation
- And More!
Aircraft
- Charger – Experimental Bi-Plane
- San Carlos Flight Center Cessna 172
- Aero Commander 500U
- BD-5 mini plane
- Vahana Urban Air Mobility aircraft
- US Coast Guard Helicopter (subject to availability)
Happy Birds
Upcoming dates:
Wednesday, June 14, 2023
Wednesday, July 5, 2023
Saturday, July 22, 2023
Wednesday, August 9, 2023
11 AM
Event included with Museum admission.
Online tickets available Click Here
Join a feathered frenzy with the Happy Birds! This elite team of parrots, macaws and cockatoos takes wing for a dazzling performance featuring wild and trained behaviors of all sorts. Arrive early for best seating and take flight on the wild side with these popular parrots and their friends.
These avian performers have been featured on The Tonight Show, Pet Star and The Ellen Show. Their repertoire includes: animal impersonations, singing opera, crying like a baby, and even a song called Clementine!
You will see fantastic birds showing incredible skills, including:
- RIDING A BIKE
- THE SHELL GAME
- RIDING A SCOOTER
- TALKING AND SINGING SONGS
- PLAYING BASKETBALL
- ANIMAL IMPERSONATIONS
- RAISING THE FLAG
- 360 DEGREE SWING
- SKATEBOARDING
- FLYING TRICKS
- OPENING DRINKS
- AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION
- AND MUCH MORE!
Flight Simulator Rally
Sunday, July 23 – Saba Approach
Sunday, August 6 – Las Vegas Night Flight
30-minute sessions begin every half hour between 2:30 PM and 3:30 PM. Event concludes at 4:00 PM.
Take up the challenge in the Flight Sim Zone!
The Flight Simulator Rally, held monthly in the Hiller Aviation Museum’s Flight Sim Zone, presents participants with a specific mission in simulated flight. Each 30-minute session provides ample time for participants to learn a particular flight, then ends with a challenge flight to achieve the best possible results!
The Flight Sim Zone features a full lab of high-fidelity flight simulators, each equipped with realistic flight controls, high speed graphics processors, and dramatic widescreen-format monitors. Using state of the art flight simulation software, the Flight Sim Zone provides an exceptional recreation of flight suitable for non-flying novices and veteran aviators alike.
Pilots ages 8 and up are welcome to join each month’s Flight Simulator Rally. The event is included with Museum admission, but space is limited. Participants must report to the Flight Sim Zone promptly at the start time of each session to ensure a spot.
Saba Approach
Attempt a landing on one of the world’s shortest runways to see commercial service on Saba in the Dutch East Indies!
Las Vegas Night Flight
Pilot a small aircraft in a low speed night approach to Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas, soaring over the brilliantly illuminated hotels and casinos of the Las Vegas Strip.
Shuttle Landing
Pilot the historic US space shuttle to an unpowered landing at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida!
Aerobatic Flight
Master the controls of the Extra 300 aerobatic airplane and attempt a challenging loop around the Golden Gate Bridge!
Instrument Approach
Fly the Cessna 172 through severe weather to a safe landing at San Francisco International Airport!
Water Rocket Rally
Upcoming dates:
Sunday, April 30, 11 am – 12 pm
Sunday, May 21, 11 am – 12 pm
Wednesday, June 21, 11 am – 12 pm
Sunday, July 2, 11 am – 12 pm
Wednesday, July 26, 11 am – 12 pm
Sunday, August 13, 11 am – 12 pm
Event included with Museum admission. Free for Museum Members.
Advanced tickets for Sunday events available on VBO Tickets
Discover the world of rockets!
Bring along a recycled 1- or 2-liter soda bottle or purchase a new water rocket body in the Museum’s Gift Shop ($1.50/bottle) and join the rocket workshop! Use a variety of common craft materials to convert a bottle into a high performance rocket vehicle, then test fly it across the Museum’s Courtyard on a fountain of compressed air and water.
Event is included with Museum admission.
Participants must bring a clean, empty soda bottle (water bottles are not suitable for this activity), or may purchase one in the Museum’s Gift Shop on the day of the event.
Kids’ Carnival
Sunday, April 23, 10 AM – 12 PM
Sunday, May 14, 10 AM – 12 PM
Sunday, June 25, 10 AM – 12 PM
Sunday, July 30, 10 AM – 12 PM
Sunday, August 27, 10 AM – 12 PM
Event included with Museum admission. No charge for Museum Members.
Join the excitement with special activities just for kids! Aircraft checkouts, cockpit exploration, glider and helicopter construction and more are just some of the activities available at each Kids’ Carnival.
Advance tickets available on VBO Tickets
Kids’ Carnival Activities
Outdoor Kids’ Carnival
March – November 2023 (February 2023 Weather Permitting)
- Paint-a-Plane Cessna Cardinal
- Scorpion Helicopter Checkout
- Paper Helicopter Construction
- Penguin Airplane Assembly
- Open Cockpit Aircraft
Indoor Kids’ Carnival
December 2022 – February 2023
- Vertical Wind Tunnels
- Paper Helicopters
- Scorpion Helicopter Checkout
- Glider Construction
- Penguin Airplane Assembly
- Rig-a-ma-Jig Construction
Sponsored by
Bubblemania
Upcoming dates:
Wednesday, August 2, 2023 10 AM – 12 PM
Event included with Museum admission. No charge for Museum Members.
Advanced tickets available on VBO Tickets
Discover a hands-on exploration of water, air, and the world of bubbles!
Lead by a trained bubbleologist, Bubblemania harnesses the science of surface tension to create the most hands-on of all hands-on experiences – bubbles! Visit multiple outdoor stations and experiment with bubble shapes, sizes and colors.
Event is included with Museum admission.
Flight Simulator Rally
Sunday, July 23 – Saba Approach
Sunday, August 6 – Las Vegas Night Flight
30-minute sessions begin every half hour between 2:30 PM and 3:30 PM. Event concludes at 4:00 PM.
Take up the challenge in the Flight Sim Zone!
The Flight Simulator Rally, held monthly in the Hiller Aviation Museum’s Flight Sim Zone, presents participants with a specific mission in simulated flight. Each 30-minute session provides ample time for participants to learn a particular flight, then ends with a challenge flight to achieve the best possible results!
The Flight Sim Zone features a full lab of high-fidelity flight simulators, each equipped with realistic flight controls, high speed graphics processors, and dramatic widescreen-format monitors. Using state of the art flight simulation software, the Flight Sim Zone provides an exceptional recreation of flight suitable for non-flying novices and veteran aviators alike.
Pilots ages 8 and up are welcome to join each month’s Flight Simulator Rally. The event is included with Museum admission, but space is limited. Participants must report to the Flight Sim Zone promptly at the start time of each session to ensure a spot.
Saba Approach
Attempt a landing on one of the world’s shortest runways to see commercial service on Saba in the Dutch East Indies!
Las Vegas Night Flight
Pilot a small aircraft in a low speed night approach to Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas, soaring over the brilliantly illuminated hotels and casinos of the Las Vegas Strip.
Shuttle Landing
Pilot the historic US space shuttle to an unpowered landing at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida!
Aerobatic Flight
Master the controls of the Extra 300 aerobatic airplane and attempt a challenging loop around the Golden Gate Bridge!
Instrument Approach
Fly the Cessna 172 through severe weather to a safe landing at San Francisco International Airport!
