Hiller Aviation Museum

Drone Plex, Flight Sim Zone, Invention Lab, FMX Flight Simulator
2026-06-20 10:30 - 15:00, 2026-06-14 10:30 - 15:00, 2026-06-13 10:30 - 15:00, 2026-06-07 10:30 - 15:00, 2026-06-06 10:30 - 15:00, 2026-05-31 10:30 - 15:00, 2026-05-30 10:30 - 15:00, 2026-05-24 10:30 - 15:00 (America/Los_Angeles) and 1 more date | Hiller Aviation Museum, 601 Skyway Rd., San Carlos, 94070, United States
Hiller Aviation Museum

Weekend events

From piloting a realistic flight simulator to building robotic drones, there are inspiring weekend activities at the museum to immerse yourself in the world of aviation. Special weekend activities are described below.

Exercise your imagination at the Imagination Playground! Create and build large structures using safe and easy-to-maneuver foam blocks. Perfect for young children.
Free with Museum admission.Open Daily 10 am - 5 pm

The Invention Lab uses tools of science to explore aviation, aerodynamics, engineering, assembly, and design. Perfect for children and adults.
Free with Museum admission.Saturdays and Sundays 10:30 am – 3 pm

With expert help from one of our volunteer pilots, discover how airplanes move in three dimensions with your hands at the controls. Take a virtual flight across the Bay and see the world from the unique perspective of a pilot.
Pass Required.

$5 per Pass (in addition to museum admission).
Pass is free for Members.
Two people can fly on one Pass (pilot and co-pilot).
Each Pass is good for up to 30 minutes of flight time.
Obtain Passes at the Flight Sim Zone

Saturday and Sunday, 10:30 am – 3 pm
Simulator Mission Schedule

Fly with an instructor in the FMX Flight Simulator. It's an FAA-approved full-motion flight simulator, typically seen only in flight schools and academies used in real-world flight training. The cockpit is fully functional, and the sensations of flight are amazing. This is the most realistic experience possible, short of flying a real airplane!
Pass Required.

$10 for a 10-minute flight (in addition to museum admission).
$8 for museum Members.
Purchase tickets at the Museum Gift Shop. Additional discounts are offered to Museum members at the Pilot, Barnstormer, and all Premium levels.

Saturdays and Sundays, 10:30 am – 3 pm

Discover the fun and challenge of drone flight!. Observe drone demonstrations and see the remarkable capabilities of robotic aircraft.
Demonstrations are suitable for all ages.
Saturdays & Sundays 10:30 am – 3:00 pmPeriodic Drone Flight Demonstrations & Drone Flight Simulation

Don't miss out on anything!
Get our weekly e-newsletter, "Hiller Happenings," delivered to your inbox with updates on our events and displays.

Get Updates

Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.Name *FirstLastEmail *Submit

You are subscribing to our weekly e-newsletter, "Hiller Happenings," delivered to your inbox with updates on our events and displays. Now you won’t miss out on any of our events.

Bubble Bonanza
2026-06-17 10:00 - 12:00, 2026-06-07 10:00 - 12:00 | Hiller Aviation Museum, 601 Skyway Rd., San Carlos, 94070, United States
Bubble Bonanza

Discover a hands-on exploration of water, air, and the world of bubbles!
Bubble Bonanza 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

Upcoming Dates
Sunday May 3, 2026Sunday June 7, 2026Wednesday June 17, 2026Sunday June 28, 2026Wednesday June 22, 2026Wednesday August 5, 2026Sunday August 30, 2026

Get your tickets

This Event is included with museum admission.Museum Members are Free. Just show your membership at the door.

Buy Tickets

Water Rocket Rally
2026-06-14 11:00 - 12:00
Water Rocket Rally

Upcoming Dates
Sunday May 17, 2026Sunday June 14, 2026Wednesday June 25, 2026Saturday July 4, 2026Sunday July 5, 2026Wednesday July 15, 2026Sunday August 9, 2026Sunday August 23, 2026

Discover the world of rockets!
Bring 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 various 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.
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.

See More 5

Get your tickets

This Event is included with museum admission.Museum Members are Free. Just show your membership at the door.

Buy Tickets

Biggest Little Air Show
2026-06-13 10:30 - 13:00 | Hiller Aviation Museum, 601 Skyway Rd., San Carlos, 94070, United States
San Francisco Bay Area’s Biggest Little Airshow at the Hiller Aviation Museum

The Biggest Little Air Show
Saturday, June 13, 202610:30 am – 12:00 pm

The exciting Sukhoi West Demo Team is returning to headline BLAS and adding one more plane to the fray! They will be joined 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:

Sukhoi West Demo Team
United States Coast Guard Helicopter Search and Rescue (SAR) Demo
The RC Flyers model aircraft demonstrations

Aerobatic gyroscopic routines
3D aerobatic helicopters
Drones
Quads
Model Rockets
And other RC aircraft

Get Tickets

Tickets Go On Sale May 1, 2026

Get your Tickets Online
Buy your tickets online
Tickets On Sale May 1st
Admission:$25 Adults (18-64) + service fee$17 Youth (5-17) + service fee$17 Senior (65+) + service feeFree (Children 3 and under)
Museum Member – Adult $12.50 + service feeMuseum Member – Youth (5-17) $8.50 + service feeMuseum Member – Senior (65+) $8.50 + service feeMuseum Member – Kids (3 and under) Free
Ticket sales end Friday evening June 12 or when the show is sold out, so get your tickets early! Tickets will not be sold at the door.
No free passes or discount tickets accepted for this event.
The event is discounted to Hiller Aviation Museum Members. Hiller Aviation Museum Members must present their tickets, membership ID, and photo ID at the membership desk at the event. The number of people admitted to the event must correspond to your membership level. Pilot Membership level and above receive complementary tickets. Contact Grace Ali for tickets.
Advanced ticket purchase on Eventbrite staring May 1st.

Flight Demonstration Schedule*

10:30 am – 12:00 pm
National Anthem

High Wing STOL Aircraft
Snoopy Vs Red Baron & the Seaduck
3D Electric – Extra 260
Custom Built – Starship, Mother Ship, Foam Man
3D Helicopter aerobatics
EDF Jets (Electric)
Model Rocket Launch
Combat
Russian Turbine Helicopter – Giant Scale
F-86 Sabre Jet – Giant Scale
US Coast Guard Helicopter Search & Rescue Demo
Full size acrobatics by Sukhoi West Demo Team, Randy Howell, Cory Lovell and Michael Mainiero

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 13, 2026

View photos from last years show from our professional air show photographers Click Here

Sukhoi West Demo Team

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.

United States Coast Guard Search and Rescue Demo (SAR)
Search and Rescue (SAR) is one of the U.S. Coast Guard’s oldest missions. Minimizing the loss of life, injury, property damage or loss by rendering aid to persons in distress and property in the maritime environment. Coast Guard SAR response involves multi-mission stations, cutters, aircraft and boats linked by communications networks. The National SAR Plan divides the U.S. area of SAR responsibility into internationally recognized inland and maritime SAR regions. The Coast Guard is the Maritime SAR Coordinator. To meet this responsibility, the Coast Guard maintains SAR facilities on the East, West and Gulf coasts; in Alaska, Hawaii, Guam, and Puerto Rico, as well as on the Great Lakes and inland U.S. waterways. The Coast Guard is recognized worldwide as a leader in the field of search and rescue.

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.

Food Trucks

T-Mo Burgers
Twister
Harry’s Hotdogs and Pizza
Mr Softee

Sponsored by

Happy Birds
2026-06-10 11:00 - 14:00 | Hiller Aviation Museum, 601 Skyway Rd., San Carlos, 94070, United States
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!
Show included with museum admission - no charge for museum members.

Upcoming Dates
Wednesday June 10, 2026 at 11 AM & 1 PMSaturday June 27, 2026 at 11 AMWednesday July 1, 2026 at 11 AM & 1 PMSaturday July 18, 2026 at 11 AMWednesday August 12, 2026 at 11 AM & 1 PMSaturday August 22, 2026 at 11 AM

Get your tickets

This Event is included with museum admission.Museum Members are Free. Just show your membership at the door.

Buy Tickets

Today’s Schedule 10-5
2026-06-01 10:00 - 17:00, 2026-05-31 10:00 - 17:00, 2026-05-30 10:00 - 17:00, 2026-05-29 10:00 - 17:00, 2026-05-28 10:00 - 17:00, 2026-05-27 10:00 - 17:00, 2026-05-26 10:00 - 17:00, 2026-05-25 10:00 - 17:00 and 3 more dates | Hiller Aviation Museum, 601 Skyway Rd., San Carlos, 94070, United States
The Hiller Aviation Daily Schedule
The Hiller Aviation Museum is open daily from 10 AM to 5 PM.
The Museum is closed on Easter Sunday, Independence Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day. And for other special events.

Glider Discovery
2026-05-31 11:00 - 12:00 | Hiller Aviation Museum, 601 Skyway Rd., San Carlos, 94070, United States
Glider Discovery

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 to 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.

Upcoming Dates
Sunday May 31, 2026

Get your tickets

This Event is included with museum admission.Museum Members are Free. Just show your membership at the door.

Buy Tickets

Open Cockpit Day
2026-05-30 10:00 - 12:00 | Hiller Aviation Museum, 601 Skyway Rd., San Carlos, 94070, United States
Open Cockpit Day

Join us for a unique opportunity to gain a pilot's eye perspective on many of the Hiller Aviation Museum's aircraft. The McDonnell Douglas A-4 Skyhawk, Boeing 747 and Hiller H-12 cockpits are always open, but on Open Cockpit Days the doors and canopies of many additional aircraft in the Museum's collection swing open to allow visitors a special chance to sit inside and explore the controls and instruments needed to fly these aircraft.

Sit in the cockpits of some of the following aircraft:

Grumman HU-16 Albatross
Fokker Dr.1 Red Baron
Aero Commander 500U
Boeing 737-100
Boeing 747
Cessna 177 Cardinal
Aero L-39 Albatross
Bell 47D
Hiller FH-1100

Upcoming Dates
Saturday May 30, 2026

Get your tickets

This Event is included with museum admission.Museum Members are Free. Just show your membership at the door.

Buy Tickets

Soar & Restore: A Wellness Series
2026-05-30 08:00 - 09:00, 2026-05-25 18:00 - 19:00 | Hiller Aviation Museum, 601 Skyway Rd., San Carlos, 94070, United States
Soar & Restore: A Wellness Series
In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, take a moment for yourself and join us for Soar & Restore: A Wellness Series where good energy, connection, and the spirit of flight come together.
Expect uplifting experiences, meaningful moments, and a chance to recharge. Come as you are, bring a friend, and enjoy this journey with our community of wellness professionals guiding the way!
Proceeds will support our new Learning Center project and help future generations take flight.

Upcoming Events

Soar & Restore: A Wellness Series Sound Bath with Laura Stroll SoundDate: Sunday, May 3, 8:30 am – 9:45 am
Soar & Restore: A Wellness Series Mat Pilates with ever PilatesDate: Sunday, May 17, 8 am – 9 am
Soar & Restore: A Wellness Series Sound Bath with Carefol YogaDate: Monday, May 25, 6 pm – 7 pm
Soar & Restore: A Wellness Series Functional Movement & Breathwork with Golden Gate ChiropracticDate: Saturday, May 30, 8am – 9am

Enjoy a complimentary tea station to help you relax and ease into a sense of calm.
Please bring a yoga mat to all events. For sound baths and breathwork, we welcome you to be comfortable; if you’d like, bring a pillow, blanket, water, and comfortable clothes. Chairs are provided for those who would prefer to sit.
Informed Consent: These practices are generally safe and offered as supportive wellness experiences. Some people may want to check with a healthcare provider before participating, especially if they have certain medical conditions or are pregnant. *Before participating in a sound bath for the first time, people with cardiac pacemakers, or who have had a recent concussion or whiplash, artificial heart valves, cardiac arrhythmias, stent or shunt, deep brain stimulation device, or epilepsy, especially sound-induced epilepsy, should consider consulting with their healthcare provider. Please listen to your body and participate at your own comfort level.

Get Tickets

Get Tickets to the Soar & Restore Events.

Straw Rocket Workshop
2026-05-24 11:00 - 12:00 | Hiller Aviation Museum, 601 Skyway Rd., San Carlos, 94070, United States
Straw Rocket Workshop

Explore the world of rocketry!
Each Air Rocket Blastoff features an introduction to rocketry and Newton's Third Law of Motion, including an exploration of a real JPL rocket on display at the Hiller Aviation Museum.
Following a demonstration, participants construct a high-performance straw rocket then launch it across the museum with a calibrated burst of air.
This event is included with Museum admission.

Upcoming DatesSunday May 24, 2026

Get your tickets

This Event is included with museum admission.Museum Members are Free. Just show your membership at the door.

Buy Tickets
