Kids’ Carnival
Sunday, February 23, 10 AM – 12 PM
Sunday, March 15, 10 AM – 12 PM
Sunday, April 26, 10 AM – 12 PM
Sunday, May 24, 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 Eventbrite
(Select the date you would like to attend)
Kids’ Carnival Activities
Indoor Kids’ Carnival
December 2019 – February 2020
- Vertical Wind Tunnels
- Paper Helicopters
- Scorpion Helicopter Checkout
- Glider Construction
- Penguin Airplane Assembly
- Rig-a-ma-Jig Construction
Outdoor Kids’ Carnival
March – October 2020
- Paint-a-Plane Cessna Cardinal
- Scorpion Helicopter Checkout
- Glider Construction
- Penguin Airplane Assembly
- Open Cockpit Aircraft
Sponsored by
Flight Sim Club
Sunday, February 23
Sunday, March 15
Sunday, April 26
Sunday, May 24
Flight Sim Club meets 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM in the Museum’s Flight Sim Zone.
Join the Hiller Aviation Museum’s simulator community at the monthly Flight Sim Club!
Intended for adult enthusiasts and families with children ages 10+, the Flight Sim Club is a regular meeting of flight simulation enthusiasts focused on testing new ideas and learning new techniques. Simulators running the latest versions of X-Plane 11 and Prepar3D will be make available, and special projects using modern flight simulator hardware will be discussed.
No registration fee or advanced reservations are needed, but club participants must purchase Hiller Aviation Museum admission on the day of each meeting to participate (no charge for Hiller Aviation Museum Members).
Flight Simulator Rally
Sunday, March 8 – Sailplane Challenge
Sunday, April 5 – Manhattan Fly-By
Sunday, May 3 – Saba Approach
30-minute sessions begin every half hour between 2:00 PM and 3:00 PM. Event concludes at 3:30 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 secure a timed ticket from the Admissions counter in the Museum Gift Shop on the day of each program.
Sailplane Challenge
Stay with a tow plane and launch an extended flight in an unnpowered glider.
Manhattan Flyby
Take a scenic flight along the Hudson River and explore the detailed scenery of America’s largest city.
Saba Approach
Take on the challenge of landing on the shortest runway in the Caribbean at the scenic airport on the island of Saba!
Flying Leprechaun Skydive!
Sunday, March 15, 2019, 10 am – 12 pm.
Skydiving “Leaping Leprechaun” at 11AM
Event will be held rain or shine!
The Luck o’ the Irish meets the Hiller Aviation Museum for a special aerial celebration in honor of St. Patrick himself! Join the morning festivities, including free face painting and a jump house. Scour the Museum’s Gallery for hidden Leprechauns and earn a treat from his pot o’ gold!
Advance on-line tickets available on Eventbrite:
At 11 am watch a bit of Leprechaun magic and aeronautical skill as the Museum’s own Leprechaun leaps from a helicopter high overhead and descends to San Carlos Airport via parachute.
Children wearing green receive a special parachute toy to commemorate the occasion!
Make your plans to join us for an annual tradition at the Hiller Aviation Museum.
Event included with museum admission.
Sponsored by
Kids’ Carnival
Sunday, February 23, 10 AM – 12 PM
Sunday, March 15, 10 AM – 12 PM
Sunday, April 26, 10 AM – 12 PM
Sunday, May 24, 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 Eventbrite
(Select the date you would like to attend)
Kids’ Carnival Activities
Indoor Kids’ Carnival
December 2019 – February 2020
- Vertical Wind Tunnels
- Paper Helicopters
- Scorpion Helicopter Checkout
- Glider Construction
- Penguin Airplane Assembly
- Rig-a-ma-Jig Construction
Outdoor Kids’ Carnival
March – October 2020
- Paint-a-Plane Cessna Cardinal
- Scorpion Helicopter Checkout
- Glider Construction
- Penguin Airplane Assembly
- Open Cockpit Aircraft
Sponsored by
E-Gamer
Aerobatic Flight Simulation in an Extra 300
Saturday, March 21
11 am – 2:00 pm
E-gamer social is hosting a multi-player video gaming social event for both typical kids and kids with special needs. This event will featuring 10 Overwatch gaming computers and 2 VR systems that allow the real-life a real life flight experience of an aerobatic Extra 330sc.
After enjoying a VR flight, kids will be able to view the unlimited Aerobatic Extra 330sc on display at the museum.
Members of the chapter 38 International Aerobatics Club will also bring their aerobatic planes for display.
E-gamer Social is an inclusive, all-volunteer program, and was created to help middle school and high school kids with social challenges. Our mission is to create an inviting space that encourages kids with social challenges and their friends or family members to play games together. By experiencing collaboration in such a competitive and social video gaming environment, our kids will learn how to work together and improve their teamwork skills. Go to www.e-gamer.social today to learn more!
Included with Museum admission.
Drone Meet
Event Schedule
Sunday, March 22, 1:30 PM – 4:00 PM
Precision Landing
Sunday, May 10, 1:30 PM – 4:00 PM
Code & Fly
All competitors must be at least 8 years old to fly at the Drone Meet.
Fly a multi-rotor drone in one of several different skill-specific competitions held in the Hiller Aviation Museum Drone Plex.
Join a Drone Competition!
Fly with the best of the best in a thrilling series of multirotor competitions. Each Drone Meet event focuses on a different skill in quadcopter flight, and utilizes the Hiller Aviation Museum’s Drone Plex facility. Drone Meet events include:
- Preflight briefing
- Practice with a drone flight simulator
- Competition using a Museum-provided Drone appropriate for the event
Each Drone Meet features rounds at 1, 2 and 3 PM. Events are included with Museum admission, but space for each round is limited. Competitors must register at the Invention Lab (10 AM – 1 PM) or Drone Plex (1 PM – 4 PM) on the day of competition.
Event Descriptions
Precision Landing: Fly a small multirotor aircraft and land it as close to the target as possible before time expires!
Code & Fly: Use drag-and-drop programing to code a simple flight routine for a Parrot Mambo drone. Launch the aircraft and watch it complete its mission autonomously!
Relay Race: Fly like the air racers of old, completing a circuit around pylons spaced around the Drone Plex. Fly in teams to complete the race without crashing ahead of the competition!
Trains and Planes
Daily March 30 – April 7
10 am – 4 pm
Join us for our annual Spring Model Train Show. This year there will be five separate model train layouts set up at the museum.
Display dates: Friday April 3 – Saturday April 11
Diablo Pacific Short Line large G-scale modular railroad. They are known throughout the Bay Area and exhibit at regional parks, museums, train hobby shows and community events. They are one of the oldest and largest modular large-scale clubs in the world.
- Large layouts are low enough for small children to see and be close to the action.
- See a variety of scenic themes with great detail and animation.
- Trains represent late 19th century steam locomotives up to 21th century diesel powered engines.
- Freight and passenger trains.
- Discover the importance of railroads and railroad history.
- Learn from knowledgeable hobbyists in woodworking, electrical and scenic construction techniques.
Display dates: Sunday March 29 – Saturday April 11
The Golden Gate Lionel Railroad Club is a group of train enthusiasts that operate three rail O-scale and classic trains on a 20 ft. by 35 ft. hi rail modular layout with three loops of track.
This is the fourth layout they have built since their founding in 1986 by Gerry Bretshneider in San Francisco. It is now one of five Lionel Railroad Clubs in the U.S. The layout is never finished as their many creative members are continually detailing several areas. Look closely!!
For more information about the club, please see their website at www.gglrrc.org.
AsiaNRail
Display dates: Friday April 3 – Friday April 10
Explore exotic, colorful Asia by rail. Follow trains through scenes of rural rice terraces and waterfalls, ancient mountain temples, and enchanting villages. This layout presents 1/150 Asian N scale models of historic steam and modern diesel and electric trains from Japan, Taiwan, China, Korea, Thailand, Russia and other Asian countries. The setting of the layout features traditional Asian architecture and scenery displayed with informative descriptions of each scene to help viewers learn more about the diverse cultures of Asia as they follow the trains around the layout. First displayed in 2008, the layout has been shown at several local shows, including the annual Train Days exhibition at the Los Altos History Museum, and at several regional and national conventions of the National Model Railroad Association.
Display dates: Friday April 3 – Friday April 10
Peninsula NTRAK is an N scale model railway club founded in 1991 and based on the San Francisco peninsula. The club is known for the high standard of quality and detail that its members achieve. Peninsula NTRAK modules are built to international NTRAK standards, which allows the modules to be joined to others around the world. The club has participates in numerous local shows each year and many members have take their modules to conventions up and down the west coast, including the national conventions of the National Model Railroad Association in Sacramento in 2011 and in Portland, Oregon in August of 2015.
Exploiting the advantages of N scale, which is just 1/160 the size of real trains, the layout can run the long trains that represent North American mainline railroading in the U.S., Canada and Mexico – with occasional visits by trains from other parts of the world, including high speed bullet trains, Caltrain and even Thomas, The Tank Engine! Find out more about the club at www.ttrainweb.org/pntrak.
Swiss Narrow Gauge
Display dates: Friday April 3 – Sunday April 5
Swiss Narrow H0m Gauge
The Meter Gauge Module Group runs trains that are HO scale (1:87) but with a smaller gauge of 12mm between the rails instead of the standard 16.5mm gauge. There are many meter gauge lines in Switzerland run by private companies such as Rhaetische Bahn (RhB), Furka Oberalp (FO), Brig Visp Zermatt (BVZ), Montreux Oberland Bernois (MOB), and Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn (MGB). We run models of the famous Glacier Express and Bernina Express trains, as well as local passenger trains and freight trains from all these companies.
In addition to the pleasant Swiss scenery our modules, we have two particularly attractive areas, a model of the Chamby station on the MOB line, and a stone arch viaduct that goes into a tunnel reminiscent of the Landwasser Viaduct on the RhB network. We run single track mainlines with sidings in stations, and we also incorporate elevation changes in our track, with one module that has the track cross over itself as it loops around.
Free-moN
Display dates: Sunday March 29 – Sunday April 5
Welcome aboard!
Silicon Valley Free-moN is an informal group of folks in the San Francisco Bay Area who are building N-Scale Modules following the Free-moN Standard.
We are having a blast building, setting up and running our modules! You should join in the fun too!
Free-moN attempts to bring modular railroading standards up to the new higher quality models now available in N Scale. Modules are constructed closer to eye-level (50″), are typically based upon actual locations, and focus on capturing the look and feel of a real railroad.
Like other Free-mo standards, only the connection between modules is standardized, not the length or shape of each module. This allows modules to break free of the typical rectangular norm. Most modules feature a single-track main line snaking through the terrain. Digital Command Control (DCC) is used to control all locomotives on the railroad.
While we are located in Northern California, we are constructing modules based on prototype locations in New Mexico, Texas, and California.
The BBF&FRR (Bob Burke Family & Friends RR)
Display dates: Thursday April 9 – Saturday April 11
The BBF&FRR (Bob Burke Family & Friends RR) is an O gauge 3 rail layout with many operating accessories. It was designed for family fun and is displayed in an open area for 360* viewing. All the accessories Ice loader, Log loader/unloader, Barrel loader, Culvert loader/unloader, Operating milk car, Operating freight car and Magnetic crane work.
Trains and Planes
Daily March 30 – April 7
10 am – 4 pm
Join us for our annual Spring Model Train Show. This year there will be five separate model train layouts set up at the museum.
Display dates: Friday April 3 – Saturday April 11
Diablo Pacific Short Line large G-scale modular railroad. They are known throughout the Bay Area and exhibit at regional parks, museums, train hobby shows and community events. They are one of the oldest and largest modular large-scale clubs in the world.
- Large layouts are low enough for small children to see and be close to the action.
- See a variety of scenic themes with great detail and animation.
- Trains represent late 19th century steam locomotives up to 21th century diesel powered engines.
- Freight and passenger trains.
- Discover the importance of railroads and railroad history.
- Learn from knowledgeable hobbyists in woodworking, electrical and scenic construction techniques.
Display dates: Sunday March 29 – Saturday April 11
The Golden Gate Lionel Railroad Club is a group of train enthusiasts that operate three rail O-scale and classic trains on a 20 ft. by 35 ft. hi rail modular layout with three loops of track.
This is the fourth layout they have built since their founding in 1986 by Gerry Bretshneider in San Francisco. It is now one of five Lionel Railroad Clubs in the U.S. The layout is never finished as their many creative members are continually detailing several areas. Look closely!!
For more information about the club, please see their website at www.gglrrc.org.
AsiaNRail
Display dates: Friday April 3 – Friday April 10
Explore exotic, colorful Asia by rail. Follow trains through scenes of rural rice terraces and waterfalls, ancient mountain temples, and enchanting villages. This layout presents 1/150 Asian N scale models of historic steam and modern diesel and electric trains from Japan, Taiwan, China, Korea, Thailand, Russia and other Asian countries. The setting of the layout features traditional Asian architecture and scenery displayed with informative descriptions of each scene to help viewers learn more about the diverse cultures of Asia as they follow the trains around the layout. First displayed in 2008, the layout has been shown at several local shows, including the annual Train Days exhibition at the Los Altos History Museum, and at several regional and national conventions of the National Model Railroad Association.
Display dates: Friday April 3 – Friday April 10
Peninsula NTRAK is an N scale model railway club founded in 1991 and based on the San Francisco peninsula. The club is known for the high standard of quality and detail that its members achieve. Peninsula NTRAK modules are built to international NTRAK standards, which allows the modules to be joined to others around the world. The club has participates in numerous local shows each year and many members have take their modules to conventions up and down the west coast, including the national conventions of the National Model Railroad Association in Sacramento in 2011 and in Portland, Oregon in August of 2015.
Exploiting the advantages of N scale, which is just 1/160 the size of real trains, the layout can run the long trains that represent North American mainline railroading in the U.S., Canada and Mexico – with occasional visits by trains from other parts of the world, including high speed bullet trains, Caltrain and even Thomas, The Tank Engine! Find out more about the club at www.ttrainweb.org/pntrak.
Swiss Narrow Gauge
Display dates: Friday April 3 – Sunday April 5
Swiss Narrow H0m Gauge
The Meter Gauge Module Group runs trains that are HO scale (1:87) but with a smaller gauge of 12mm between the rails instead of the standard 16.5mm gauge. There are many meter gauge lines in Switzerland run by private companies such as Rhaetische Bahn (RhB), Furka Oberalp (FO), Brig Visp Zermatt (BVZ), Montreux Oberland Bernois (MOB), and Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn (MGB). We run models of the famous Glacier Express and Bernina Express trains, as well as local passenger trains and freight trains from all these companies.
In addition to the pleasant Swiss scenery our modules, we have two particularly attractive areas, a model of the Chamby station on the MOB line, and a stone arch viaduct that goes into a tunnel reminiscent of the Landwasser Viaduct on the RhB network. We run single track mainlines with sidings in stations, and we also incorporate elevation changes in our track, with one module that has the track cross over itself as it loops around.
Free-moN
Display dates: Sunday March 29 – Sunday April 5
Welcome aboard!
Silicon Valley Free-moN is an informal group of folks in the San Francisco Bay Area who are building N-Scale Modules following the Free-moN Standard.
We are having a blast building, setting up and running our modules! You should join in the fun too!
Free-moN attempts to bring modular railroading standards up to the new higher quality models now available in N Scale. Modules are constructed closer to eye-level (50″), are typically based upon actual locations, and focus on capturing the look and feel of a real railroad.
Like other Free-mo standards, only the connection between modules is standardized, not the length or shape of each module. This allows modules to break free of the typical rectangular norm. Most modules feature a single-track main line snaking through the terrain. Digital Command Control (DCC) is used to control all locomotives on the railroad.
While we are located in Northern California, we are constructing modules based on prototype locations in New Mexico, Texas, and California.
The BBF&FRR (Bob Burke Family & Friends RR)
Display dates: Thursday April 9 – Saturday April 11
The BBF&FRR (Bob Burke Family & Friends RR) is an O gauge 3 rail layout with many operating accessories. It was designed for family fun and is displayed in an open area for 360* viewing. All the accessories Ice loader, Log loader/unloader, Barrel loader, Culvert loader/unloader, Operating milk car, Operating freight car and Magnetic crane work.
Trains and Planes
Daily March 30 – April 7
10 am – 4 pm
Join us for our annual Spring Model Train Show. This year there will be five separate model train layouts set up at the museum.
Display dates: Friday April 3 – Saturday April 11
Diablo Pacific Short Line large G-scale modular railroad. They are known throughout the Bay Area and exhibit at regional parks, museums, train hobby shows and community events. They are one of the oldest and largest modular large-scale clubs in the world.
- Large layouts are low enough for small children to see and be close to the action.
- See a variety of scenic themes with great detail and animation.
- Trains represent late 19th century steam locomotives up to 21th century diesel powered engines.
- Freight and passenger trains.
- Discover the importance of railroads and railroad history.
- Learn from knowledgeable hobbyists in woodworking, electrical and scenic construction techniques.
Display dates: Sunday March 29 – Saturday April 11
The Golden Gate Lionel Railroad Club is a group of train enthusiasts that operate three rail O-scale and classic trains on a 20 ft. by 35 ft. hi rail modular layout with three loops of track.
This is the fourth layout they have built since their founding in 1986 by Gerry Bretshneider in San Francisco. It is now one of five Lionel Railroad Clubs in the U.S. The layout is never finished as their many creative members are continually detailing several areas. Look closely!!
For more information about the club, please see their website at www.gglrrc.org.
AsiaNRail
Display dates: Friday April 3 – Friday April 10
Explore exotic, colorful Asia by rail. Follow trains through scenes of rural rice terraces and waterfalls, ancient mountain temples, and enchanting villages. This layout presents 1/150 Asian N scale models of historic steam and modern diesel and electric trains from Japan, Taiwan, China, Korea, Thailand, Russia and other Asian countries. The setting of the layout features traditional Asian architecture and scenery displayed with informative descriptions of each scene to help viewers learn more about the diverse cultures of Asia as they follow the trains around the layout. First displayed in 2008, the layout has been shown at several local shows, including the annual Train Days exhibition at the Los Altos History Museum, and at several regional and national conventions of the National Model Railroad Association.
Display dates: Friday April 3 – Friday April 10
Peninsula NTRAK is an N scale model railway club founded in 1991 and based on the San Francisco peninsula. The club is known for the high standard of quality and detail that its members achieve. Peninsula NTRAK modules are built to international NTRAK standards, which allows the modules to be joined to others around the world. The club has participates in numerous local shows each year and many members have take their modules to conventions up and down the west coast, including the national conventions of the National Model Railroad Association in Sacramento in 2011 and in Portland, Oregon in August of 2015.
Exploiting the advantages of N scale, which is just 1/160 the size of real trains, the layout can run the long trains that represent North American mainline railroading in the U.S., Canada and Mexico – with occasional visits by trains from other parts of the world, including high speed bullet trains, Caltrain and even Thomas, The Tank Engine! Find out more about the club at www.ttrainweb.org/pntrak.
Swiss Narrow Gauge
Display dates: Friday April 3 – Sunday April 5
Swiss Narrow H0m Gauge
The Meter Gauge Module Group runs trains that are HO scale (1:87) but with a smaller gauge of 12mm between the rails instead of the standard 16.5mm gauge. There are many meter gauge lines in Switzerland run by private companies such as Rhaetische Bahn (RhB), Furka Oberalp (FO), Brig Visp Zermatt (BVZ), Montreux Oberland Bernois (MOB), and Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn (MGB). We run models of the famous Glacier Express and Bernina Express trains, as well as local passenger trains and freight trains from all these companies.
In addition to the pleasant Swiss scenery our modules, we have two particularly attractive areas, a model of the Chamby station on the MOB line, and a stone arch viaduct that goes into a tunnel reminiscent of the Landwasser Viaduct on the RhB network. We run single track mainlines with sidings in stations, and we also incorporate elevation changes in our track, with one module that has the track cross over itself as it loops around.
Free-moN
Display dates: Sunday March 29 – Sunday April 5
Welcome aboard!
Silicon Valley Free-moN is an informal group of folks in the San Francisco Bay Area who are building N-Scale Modules following the Free-moN Standard.
We are having a blast building, setting up and running our modules! You should join in the fun too!
Free-moN attempts to bring modular railroading standards up to the new higher quality models now available in N Scale. Modules are constructed closer to eye-level (50″), are typically based upon actual locations, and focus on capturing the look and feel of a real railroad.
Like other Free-mo standards, only the connection between modules is standardized, not the length or shape of each module. This allows modules to break free of the typical rectangular norm. Most modules feature a single-track main line snaking through the terrain. Digital Command Control (DCC) is used to control all locomotives on the railroad.
While we are located in Northern California, we are constructing modules based on prototype locations in New Mexico, Texas, and California.
The BBF&FRR (Bob Burke Family & Friends RR)
Display dates: Thursday April 9 – Saturday April 11
The BBF&FRR (Bob Burke Family & Friends RR) is an O gauge 3 rail layout with many operating accessories. It was designed for family fun and is displayed in an open area for 360* viewing. All the accessories Ice loader, Log loader/unloader, Barrel loader, Culvert loader/unloader, Operating milk car, Operating freight car and Magnetic crane work.
