Hiller Aviation Museum

Stanley Hiller Jr. built his first helicopter as a teenager in the Bay Area during World War II and spent the rest of his life in aviation. The museum that carries his name sits on the edge of the San Carlos Airport, about 20 minutes up Highway 101 from Palo Alto. It is a Smithsonian Affiliate and holds a collection of more than 50 aircraft covering more than a century of flight, with a strong focus on Northern California inventors and on helicopters.

For families it is one of the easiest big outings on the Peninsula. Kids can climb into the nose of a jumbo jet, try a flight simulator and watch a helicopter drop a pumpkin on Halloween morning. Adults who know their aircraft will find rare prototypes that are hard to see anywhere else. This guide covers what is in the hangar, hours and admission as the museum listed them in late October 2026, how to get there and how to fit it into a day. Our San Carlos guide covers the rest of the town.

From a Redwood City warehouse to the runway

Hiller started collecting aircraft in the late 1960s and stored them in a warehouse in Redwood City. By the mid 1980s the collection held 15 aircraft. Public access was limited, so a trust Hiller set up funded a permanent home. A lease at the San Carlos Airport was approved in March 1996, ground was broken that October and the Hiller Aviation Museum opened on June 5, 1998.

The building is a large open hangar with a mezzanine, built so you can see the hanging aircraft from two levels. The Hiller name ties the place to local industry. Hiller's company built its helicopters on the Peninsula after the war, which makes the museum a natural follow-up to our Silicon Valley history for anyone curious about the region's engineering roots before semiconductors.

What to see in the hangar

The collection mixes famous aircraft, local oddities and experimental machines. The museum's list of aircraft on display changes as loans come and go, but these have been the anchors:

• Boeing 747-100 nose section. The forward fuselage and flight deck of a retired British Airways jumbo jet, painted in Flying Tigers colors. A staircase leads up to the cockpit and part of the first class cabin. For many kids this is the whole reason to come.
• Boeing 737-200 cockpit. A second airliner flight deck, easier to see up close.
• Hiller helicopters. Several of Hiller's own designs, including the Hiller UH-4 Commuter and the YH-32A gunship nicknamed "Sally Rand," along with a reproduction of the XH-44, the coaxial helicopter that started it all.
• Early flight. A Curtiss Model D pusher biplane and the Beachey-Eaton "Little Looper," a replica of the plane stunt pilot Lincoln Beachey flew in the 1910s.
• Research aircraft. The NASA AD-1 oblique wing test plane, whose whole wing pivots on a single point. The Defiant Model 40 prototype sits nearby.
• The future. The Wisk Cora Gen5 eVTOL demonstrator and the Solo Trek XFV, a personal flying machine built around the pilot.
• Training gear. A World War II Link Trainer, one of the first flight simulators. There is also an A-4M Skyhawk simulator in Blue Angels colors.

Hands-on areas fill the gaps between aircraft. The museum lists flight simulators, a drone area and an Invention Lab among its activities. The Flight Sim Zone is designed to be fully wheelchair accessible.

Hours and admission

The official visit page lists the museum as open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week. It closes on Easter Sunday, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. Hours are sometimes extended for special activities and the museum occasionally closes early for private events. Its calendar showed a 4 p.m. close on November 7, 2026 and a 3 p.m. close on Christmas Eve.

Prices need a small caveat. In late October 2026 the visit page listed $22 for adults and $14 for seniors 65 and up and youths 5 to 17. The museum's ticket listings at the same time showed $23 for adults and $15 for youths 4 to 17 and seniors at the door, with online prices a dollar higher. Children 3 and under are free with a paid adult and members always get in free. Buy through the museum's ticket page to see the price for your date. If you are bundling several Bay Area attractions you can compare museum tickets as well.

Groups of 12 or more qualify for discounted pricing if they request a reservation at least two weeks ahead. A guided tour is included when staff are available. The lot outside is free.

Events worth timing a visit around

Hiller runs one of the busiest event calendars of any small museum on the Peninsula. Most events are included with admission and run in the morning. Items on the calendar for late 2026 included:

Smaller weekend workshops fill the gaps, such as straw rockets, robot coding and glider flying. The museum also runs day camps during school breaks, which we cover in our school break camps guide.

Getting there from Palo Alto

By car

Take Highway 101 north to the Holly Street and Redwood Shores Parkway exit. Go east on Redwood Shores Parkway, turn right on Airport Road and right again on Skyway Road. Outside rush hour the drive from downtown Palo Alto takes about 20 minutes. Allow longer on weekday afternoons, when northbound 101 slows near Redwood City.

By Caltrain and on foot

Take Caltrain to San Carlos, a two-zone fare from Palo Alto. Not every train stops there, so check the timetable. From the station the museum suggests walking north along the tracks, turning right at Holly Street and crossing over Highway 101. You will see the museum on your right from the overcrossing. Turn right on Airport Road and continue onto Skyway Road. The walk is about a mile. SamTrans buses run along El Camino Real to the same stop, but there is no bus to the airport itself.

One rule from the museum is worth repeating: never walk across the runway. If you arrive at the airport terminal on the far side of the field, ask at the airport office or call the museum.

Tips for a good visit

• Allow two to three hours. That covers the hangar, the 747 and a simulator session without rushing.
• Go early on event days. Helicopter events draw crowds and the lot fills.
• Check the calendar first. Private events can close the museum early.
• Look out the windows. Small planes take off a few hundred feet away. If your kids love that part, our Palo Alto Airport page lists spots to watch planes closer to home.
• No emotional support animals. Only trained service dogs are allowed inside.

Accessibility

The museum describes itself as wheelchair accessible. Drivers can drop passengers at the main entrance. The aircraft can be seen from the ground floor and from the mezzanine, which an elevator serves. The Flight Sim Zone was designed for wheelchair users. The 747 nose section is reached by stairs, so check with staff if anyone in your group cannot climb them.

Food nearby and pairing it with other stops

The museum notes that fast food and full service restaurants are a short drive away, but there is no full cafe on site. Most families eat on Laurel Street in downtown San Carlos, a few minutes west across Highway 101, where you will find Mexican, Thai, Japanese, Italian and burger places within a few blocks. On Sundays the Laurel Street farmers market adds another reason to stop.

Hiller pairs well with an afternoon outdoors. Edgewood Park, just over the city line, is the classic spring wildflower walk. For a full tech and aviation day, start at Hiller in the morning and drive south to the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, which opens Wednesday to Sunday. Our museums for kids guide compares Hiller with the options closer to Palo Alto.

Visitors without a car who want a guided look at the region can browse Silicon Valley tours. For an overnight stay near the airport and Redwood Shores, compare mid-Peninsula hotels.

Frequently asked questions