Hiller Aviation Museum

Great educational facility. We brought our preschoolers here on a class trip and the staff was great about walking the kids through some fun workshops with plenty of free play interspersed. The kids loved going into the cockpit of the 747 and pretending like they were flying a helicopter in the simulator. They then got some of their energy out by playing with foam blocks and the parachute drops. Plenty of parking onsite. The only con is that there is no food sold onsite so you will need to bring your own.

I have driven by this museum many times over the years with the intention of going one day and over this winter break, that day came! I attended the "Noon Year's Eve" event with my family and it was a great time! We purchased tickets online and the checkout process was easy and smooth. On the day of the event, we were not sure how crowded it would be and upon arrival, the parking lot had already been filled and traffic was being directed into the overflow lots in nearby buildings. It was organized and the walk to the museum was not too bad. The museum itself was great. The variety of aircraft on display was plentiful and appealed to my son. He had a great time sitting in each of the available aircrafts and pressing the buttons and pretending to fly. They also had flight simulators and some other interactive exhibits that kept the kids entertained. Overall, the museum was great, however, there are a few points of feedback that would help the organizer of the specific event do better next time. Event specific feedback: 1) I believe they might have oversold this event as the amount of people and lines for everything was very long. Perhaps they can decrease the amount of available tickets so that it didn't feel like a mad dash to stand in line the entire time. 2) I did not see any staff at the aircraft display regulating the lines, so what may have seemed like a 10 person line (which shouldn't have been that long) ended up being a much longer wait because families were left to self regulate their time at an exhibit. So for example, a child could spend a whole 10 minutes sitting in a plane while their parent made a phone call (this actually happened) and did not have the decency to shorten their kids time to allow for the evergrowing line of kids that waited patiently for their turn. If there was a staff member to help move people along in a reasonable manner, it would have been a more pleasant experience for all without feeling like all we did was wait in line after line. 3) I did like the fact there were multiple balloon drop areas. Perhaps more balloon drop areas spaced out to avoid a larger crowd gathering in one area would help (especially since it is cold/flu season with tons of people pushed in together as closely as we were).Overall - The museum was great and I will probably go back again on a regular day to fully take advantage of all the exhibits without the large crowd that the event brought in. Definitely worth a visit.

Do you have a child? Do you like airplanes? Have you ever wanted to fly a plane? If you answered yes to any of these, proceed to Hiller, buy the membership, and be amazed! I was unaware of the hidden gem that is Hiller until we stumbled upon it after visiting the San Carlos airport (see my review of the restaurant there - it's ah-mah-zing). Immediately, I loved it. The staff is so friendly and wonderful, the exhibits capture the attention of both young and old patrons, and the interactive portions of the museum can't be beat! My favorite is the helicopter - I've actually succeeded in not crashing it once ;) My son's favorite is by far the parachuters and the plane in the back where you can move the rudders (I think that's what they are) from the cockpit. Honestly, probably my favorite way to spend a day is breakfast at the San Carlos airport (watch all the planes take off) followed by a trip to Hiller. Be sure to get tickets to the upstairs flying simulation if you want to really test your flying skills - such a blast!

I've been wanting to come here with my family as my child wants to be a pilot one day. It was the most beautiful memory created! This place is amazing and very interactive for children of all ages. Of course there are areas where we respect and there's boundaries with ropes but there are also plenty of little interactive activities for the kids to enjoy and learn. The planes and aircraft's are intriguing to see in person as you really put yourself in different parts of history. I want to give a huge shoutout to Eric the volunteer! He really made our first time experience so wonderful and heartfelt. Overall highly recommend this place and would definitely come pay a visit again!

The most fantastic place I've ever been to! Really cool Tp put a Boeing 737 Outside and able to go inside

Came here for the Thanksgiving Turkey Drop and loved our time here. The tickets were sold out and it was busy yet there was plenty to do at the museum. The kids loved the interactive games and getting on some of the planes. There was face painting and free samples for attendees. The turkey drop itself was fun. They dropped a sack full of foam turkeys from a helicopter and the kids got to run over and grab one. The staff came over with a box of extras and made sure every kid had one. Decent size gift shop and parking available.

Very nice small aviation museum. Lots of things for the little ones to do. Paper airplane launcher was a favorite.

This museum is both fascinating and educational, catering to both children and adults alike. After a year of intending to visit, we finally made it and were not disappointed. I recommend visiting on weekends as they have more working zones available, even though it may be crowded. Overall, a worthwhile experience for all ages!

We came here on a weekday and my son had so much fun. I enjoyed that it wasn't too crowded on a weekday. He enjoyed the foam pit and being able to run around outside next to an airplane. There were a lot of things to see through the history of aviation. There were a few simulators open as well. Upstairs you can listen to one of the radio towers while overlooking the airport. My husband enjoyed the simulations and how interactive the museum is. There's even a place where you can make paper airplanes and launch it. There's a good amount of parking. Bathrooms are in the lobby. A pretty big museum store. You can even become a member here.

came here on a whim with my toddlers (2&3yo) and had a great time. We spent about 45 mins inside the museum touring and another half hour at the outdoor exhibit . There are a few aircraft's the kids can actually sit in, as well as a nice open soft play area, crafts/legos and simulation games. I loved the outdoor exhibit with plenty of tables/umbrellas for a snack/lunch. open daily 7 days a week 10-5pm.FYI stroller friendly, plenty of parking, starbucks next door and gift shop inside with lots of cool aviation gadgets