San Francisco Bay Area’s Biggest Little Airshow at the Hiller Aviation Museum

The Biggest Little Air Show
Sold Out!
Saturday, June 17, 2023
10:30 am – 12:00 pm
This year’s show will celebrate the 25th anniversary of the museum by matching a thrilling aerobatic performance by airshow pilot Vicky Benzing in her 1940 Boeing Stearman airplane and the Sukhoi West Demo Team along with demonstrations of exceptional radio-controlled models.
Beautifully detailed radio control model aircraft will be on display and perform demonstrations at the Museum from 10:30 AM to 12 PM.
San Carlos Airport will close to regular traffic from 10:30 am to noon to allow realistic jet and propeller-powered model aircraft to roll down the runway and into the sky to take their part in a unique aerial extravaganza including aerobatic helicopters, drones, quadrotors, and more!!
Performers:
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- Airshow pilot Vicky Benzing in her 1940 Boeing Stearman airplane
- Sukhoi West Demo Team
- Parachute Jump
- The RC Flyers model aircraft demonstrations
- Aerobatic gyroscopic routines
- 3D aerobatic helicopters
- Drones
- Quads
- Model Rockets
- And other RC aircraft
Sorry this event is completely sold out.
No tickets will be sold at the door and no passes accepted for this event.
What are my transport/parking options getting to the event?
The museum has FREE parking BUT it is very limited. You will be directed by our parking volunteers to park at the museum or in any of the airport parking lots down Skyway RD. There may be up to a 3/4 mile walk and/or there will be a shuttle bus running to the furthest parking lot at the end of Skyway Rd. Please car pool or better yet – Take Uber or Lyft.
At the conclusion of the air show the traffic light at the corner of Redwood Shores Pkwy and Airport Dr. can back up. We strongly recommend sticking around the show afterwards and talk to the pilots, have lunch, check out the Drone Plex and enjoy the Museum. Shuttle bus runs until 2PM.
Seating:
There is no seating provided. You are welcome to bring your own folding chairs to the show. The gate to the flight line will open approximately 10 minutes prior to the show. Placing your chairs on the flight line is on a first come basis. There is no reserved areas.
Flight Demonstration Schedule*
10:30 am – 12:00 pm
- Parachute Jump – National Anthem
- High Wing STOL Aircraft
- Creations
- 3D Electric
- 3D Edge 540 Gasser
- 3D Helicopter aerobatics
- Drone Race & Freestyle Demo
- EDF Jets
- Foam Man
- Model Rocket Launch
- Combat
- Full size acrobatics by Sukhoi West Demo Team, Randy Howell and Cory Lovell
- Full size acrobatics by Vicky Benzing in her Extra 1940 Boeing Stearman
12:10 pm – 3:00 pm
- Drone flying in the Drone Plex located in the Museum Gallery.
*Schedule subject to change without notice
This is a video from a previous year’s event.
This year’s Biggest Little Airshow is Saturday, June 17, 2023
Vicky Benzing in her 1940 Boeing Stearman



About Vicky Benzing
Born And Raised In California, Vicky Benzing Is An Accomplished Pilot, Skydiver, Aerobatic Performer, And Air Racer. With Over 9500 Hours Of Flight Time And Over 1300 Parachute Jumps, Vicky Has A Passion For Everything Airborne. Her Flying Career Has Spanned Nearly Forty Years, And She Currently Holds An Airline Transport Pilot Rating As Well As A Commercial Rating In Helicopters, Seaplanes, And Gliders.
Vicky Still Remembers Her First Flight In Her Uncle’s Airplane When She Was Just A Small Child. Inspired By That Flight At A Very Young Age, Vicky Learned To Fly In A Family Friend’s Antique Taylorcraft In Her Hometown Of Watsonville, On The California Coast. She Was Thrilled By The Spins, Loops, And Rolls That Her Ex-Military Instructor Taught Her And Subsequently Took Aerobatic Instruction From Legendary Pilot Amelia Reid.
Vicky’s Aerobatic Flying Took A Brief Back Seat While She Earned Her Ph.D. In Chemistry From Uc Berkeley And Began Working In The Silicon Valley High Tech Industry. But Her Passion For Spins, Loops, And Rolls Soon Returned When She Took An Aerobatic Flight With Air Show Legend Wayne Handley.
In 2005, Vicky Began Her Aerobatic Training In Earnest. She Began Competing In Aerobatic Contests Throughout The Us, Working Her Way Up Through The Many Categories. In Between Contests, Vicky Also Began Performing In Local Air Shows. Today Vicky Holds A Surface Level Aerobatic Waiver And Has Flown Hundreds Of Air Show Performances At Venues Across The United States, Including As An Invited Performer At The Greatest Airshow In The World, Eaa Airventure In Oshkosh, Wi.
About Sukhoi West Demo Team
The Sukhoi West Demo Team brings together two highly accomplished pilots with the best aerobatic aircraft in the world. Sukhois have been flown by the top World Aerobatic pilots year after year in competitions and air shows.
Randy Howell is the Patriots Jet Team Owner and recently started flying the Sukhoi SU-26 in addition to leading the Patriots 6-ship jet team. Randy has accumulated more than 27,000 hours of flight time and took early retirement as a 747-400 Capt. He’s an advanced instructor in aerobatics, formation, and UPRT, as well as a Check Airman in a multitude of aircraft. He has flown air shows for 24 years and raced in three different classes at the Reno Air Races. He holds an ATP with 24 different type ratings from MiG-17s to the Boeing 747.
Cory Lovell’s experience comes from taking to the sky at the age of 12, followed by years of training with some of the best pilots in the world, including Sergei Boriak, Elena Klimovich, and Bill Stein. Cory’s also an aerobatic instructor in the San Francisco Bay Area and is Type Rated in the L-39 as well as several other unique aircraft. The Sukhoi West Demo Team spends much of their time working with aspiring pilots in the local community to help them realize their dreams.
Sukhoi West Demo Team website click here.