Hiller Aviation Museum
Encyclopedia
San Carlos, California
San Carlos is a city in San Mateo County, California, USA on the San Francisco Peninsula, about halfway between San Francisco and San Jose. It is an affluent small residential suburb located between Belmont to the north and Redwood City to the south. San Carlos' ZIP code is 94070, and it is within...
, USA at the San Carlos Airport
San Carlos Airport
San Carlos Airport is a county-owned public use airport in San Mateo County, California, United States. It is located two nautical miles northeast of the central business district of San Carlos, California. The FAA's National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems classifies San Carlos as a reliever...
, is an aircraft
Aircraft
An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air, or, in general, the atmosphere of a planet. An aircraft counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines.Although...
history museum
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
. The museum was founded by Stanley Hiller, Jr., in June 1998. and is endowed by members of the Hiller Family (owners of the Hiller Aircraft Corporation, an early helicopter
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
pioneer). It specializes in Northern California
Northern California
Northern California is the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. The San Francisco Bay Area , and Sacramento as well as its metropolitan area are the main population centers...
aircraft history and helicopter history. The museum is also an affiliate within the Smithsonian Affiliations program.
Permanent exhibits
This museum has more than 45 aerospace vehiclesAircraft
An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air, or, in general, the atmosphere of a planet. An aircraft counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines.Although...
along with companion descriptive displays concerning the history of flight. Some of the exhibits include:
- The Hiller XH-44, first coaxial helicopter to fly in the US
- The Hiller Flying PlatformHiller Flying Platform| - See also :- References :NotesBibliography* Winchester, Jim. The World's Worst Aircraft: From Pioneering Failures to Multimillion Dollar Disasters. London: Amber Books Ltd., 2005. ISBN 1-904687-34-2.- External links :**...
, an experimental aircraft from 1955 to give a single passenger low-altitude flight - The original mockup, partially assembled, of the Boeing 2707Boeing 2707The Boeing 2707 was developed as the first American supersonic transport . After winning a competition for a government-funded contract to build an American SST, Boeing began development at its facilities in Seattle, Washington...
, a supersonic transportSupersonic transportA supersonic transport is a civilian supersonic aircraft designed to transport passengers at speeds greater than the speed of sound. The only SSTs to see regular service to date have been Concorde and the Tupolev Tu-144. The last passenger flight of the Tu-144 was in June 1978 with its last ever...
prototype, an uncompleted ConcordeConcordeAérospatiale-BAC Concorde was a turbojet-powered supersonic passenger airliner, a supersonic transport . It was a product of an Anglo-French government treaty, combining the manufacturing efforts of Aérospatiale and the British Aircraft Corporation...
rival - The front 45 feet of a Boeing 747Boeing 747The Boeing 747 is a wide-body commercial airliner and cargo transport, often referred to by its original nickname, Jumbo Jet, or Queen of the Skies. It is among the world's most recognizable aircraft, and was the first wide-body ever produced...
- James Ricklefs' "Honeymoon" Fairchild
- The Rutan DefiantRutan Defiant|-References:*...
, Burt Rutan'sBurt RutanElbert Leander "Burt" Rutan is an American aerospace engineer noted for his originality in designing light, strong, unusual-looking, energy-efficient aircraft...
personal homebuilt airplane.
Sponsored events
Every June, the museum sponsors the Vertical Challenge Airshow, a helicopter-centred airshowAirshow
An air show is an event at which aviators display their flying skills and the capabilities of their aircraft to spectators in aerobatics. Air shows without aerobatic displays, having only aircraft displayed parked on the ground, are called "static air shows"....
at the San Carlos Airport
San Carlos Airport
San Carlos Airport is a county-owned public use airport in San Mateo County, California, United States. It is located two nautical miles northeast of the central business district of San Carlos, California. The FAA's National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems classifies San Carlos as a reliever...
. Other eventsinclude: "Lecture Series", "Noon Years party for Kids, "Remember when - World War II Trainer Aircraft Day" and "Yak Attack".
See also
- ColeopterColeopterA coleopter is a type of Vertical Take-Off and Landing aircraft design that uses a ducted fan as the primary fuselage of the entire aircraft. Generally they appear to be a large barrel-like extension at the rear, with a small cockpit area suspended above it. Like most ducted fan designs, coleopters...
- Hiller AircraftHiller AircraftHiller Aircraft Company was founded in 1942 as Hiller Industries by Stanley Hiller to develop helicopters.- History :Stanley Hiller, then seventeen, established the first helicopter factory on the West Coast of the United States, located in Berkeley, California, in 1942, under the name "Hiller...