The Hiller Aviation Museum in San Carlos, California will be holding an Open Cockpit Day on July 11th. While this fabulous museum is relatively unknown to the general public, it has a fabulous collection of more than fifty aircraft and numerous interesting artifacts and displays. It is primarily dedicated to the designs of Stanley Hiller jr., the helicopter pioneer who opened the museum in 1998. While many of Hiller’s ingenious designs are on show at the museum, there are a number of important fixed wing aircraft to view as well, including an extremely rare Lockheed YO-3A Quiet Star battlefield observation aircraft and the forward fuselage of a British Airways Boeing 747-136 airliner which visitors can go inside!
Three of the museum’s aircraft have their cockpits regularly open to public access including a Douglas A-4M Skyhawk cockpit simulator, Hiller UH-12 and of course the 747. However, on certain select days, some of the museum’s other exhibits are available to step inside. On July 11th, the following aircraft will be opened up for visitors between 10:00 am and 2:00 pm:
- Grumman HU-16C Albatross (Bu.137932 ex-N44RD)
- Boeing 737-222 (c/n 19946 – former United Airlines N9065U)
- Boeing 747-136 (c/n 20269 – former British Airways G-AWNG)
- Cessna 177B Cardinal (c/n 17701954 – ex-N34716)
- Aero L-39C Albatros (c/n 533526 – ex-NX139AF)
- Bell 47D-1 (c/n 39 – ex-N39KH)
The cockpit to a Douglas A-4M Skyhawk are available for people to suit inside at the Hiller Aviation Museum. (photo via Hiller Aviation Museum)
The museum will also hold another Open Cockpit Day this summer on August 22nd. These events are included with the purchase price of a standard entry ticket. Visit www.hiller.org for more information.
Richard Mallory Allnutt's aviation passion ignited at the 1974 Farnborough Airshow. Raised in 1970s Britain, he was immersed in WWII aviation lore. Moving to Washington DC, he frequented the Smithsonian’s National Air & Space Museum, meeting aviation legends.
After grad school, Richard worked for Lockheed-Martin but stayed devoted to aviation, volunteering at museums and honing his photography skills. In 2013, he became the founding editor of Warbirds News, now Vintage Aviation News. With around 800 articles written, he focuses on supporting grassroots aviation groups.
Richard values the connections made in the aviation community and is proud to help grow Vintage Aviation News.
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