School Field Trip Programs
For distance-learning virtual programs, visit the Distance Learning Page.
Enhance the Hiller Aviation Museum experience for your students by scheduling a hands-on program as part of your visit. A variety of programs are available for different grade levels and include model aircraft, aviation weather, aerodynamics labs and flight simulation in the Flight Sim Zone. Programs last 50 minutes unless otherwise noted and require a program fee in addition to Museum admission.
This is an exciting, excellent program that gives students a vision for what they could possibly do in their futures, plus gives them fresh appreciation for the science of flight.
All programs are aligned with California State Content Standards in science or math.
How to Schedule Your School Program
1. Determine at least two possible dates for your field trip.
2. Request your field trip online:
In-Person Field Trip Request Form
Virtual Field Trip Request Form
3. A credit card is required on file to confirm all reservations. However, a form of payment must be brought to in-person field trips. Admission does not have access to card on file. Payment is collected on the day of the field trip.
Program Topics
Aircraft Design and Engineering
Amazing Aircraft I
Grades K-5, 50-Minute Duration
Program Fee $4.50/child (plus Museum admission)
Our most popular hands-on program! Learn the different kinds of aircraft and identify the parts of an airplane before building and flying a simple balsa glider. Grades 4-5 add control surfaces to guide their glider’s flight. It ’s an adventure in aviation!
Aero Design Challenge
Available November 2023 – April 2024
Grades 4-8, 2.5 Hour Duration
Special Restrictions (See Below)
No Charge
The Hiller Aviation Museum’s annual celebration of engineering, the Aero Design Challenge provides middle school students with an immersive, hands-on experience in flight. Students are introduced to the Engineering Design Process, experience different Discovery Station rotations, then work in small groups to design, build, test and improve their aircraft!
Aero Design Challenge is available at no charge through the generosity of the JetBlue Foundation. Availability is limited to schools visiting with 30 or more students, and additional date restrictions may apply.
Amazing Aircraft II
Grades 3-8, 50-Minute Duration
Program Fee $6.00/child (plus Museum admission)
Take flight with a rubber-powered airplane! Recommended for older students, Amazing Aircraft II features construction and flight of a larger, propeller powered balsa airplane. Grades 4-8 add control surfaces to guide their airplane’s flight. Launch into the amazing world of aircraft!
Physical Science
Flight and Motion
Grades 2-8, 50-Minute Duration
Program Fee $4.50/Child (plus Museum admission)
How do the forces of flight affect a glider? Children conduct an inquiry-based investigation into lift, weight, thrust and drag and conduct an experiment to discover how changes to an aircraft wing affect performance. All participants keep a small balsa glider.
Flight Planning Lab
Grades 5-12, 90-Minute Duration
Program Fee $9.00/child (plus Museum admission)
Science, math and aviation come together in a three-part experience! Students inspect a small aircraft, use aviation charts to plan a flight between airports, and fly a portion of the planned flight in the Flight Sim Zone. Careful consideration of terrain contours and calculations of fuel consumption and velocity are essential to ensure a safe mission.
Flight Simulator Lab
Grades 3-12, 50-Minute Duration
Program Fee $6.00/child (plus Museum admission)
Enter the Museum’s Flight Sim Zone, where every student has the opportunity to control a simulated airplane through several realistic, age-appropriate missions. Using state-of-the-art flight simulation equipment and software, students work in pairs to master aircraft control while flying through a beautiful reproduction of the Bay Area and other locations worldwide.
Introduction to Aviation
Grades 3-6, 90-Minute Duration
Program Fee $9.00/child (plus Museum admission)
Combine flight simulation and glider construction to explore aviation from every angle! Students conduct a hands-on inspection of a real airplane, build a flying model glider and try their hand flying a small airplane in the Flight Sim Zone. It’s an all-inclusive aviation experience!
Weather and Earth Science
Eye on the Sky
Grades K-2, 50-minute duration
Program Fee $4.50/child (plus Museum admission)
Explore the world of weather! Discover the water cycle’s role in cloud formation and identify the cloud types that impact aviation. Construct a model of the water cycle and a cloud identification card.
Star Watchers
Grades K-8, 30-Minute Duration
Program Fee $4.50/child plus $35 per day (plus Museum admission)
Take an adventure into the night-time sky! Students enter a giant inflatable Starlab dome to explore by day the stars, planets and constellations that will be visible in the sky that night and discover the means by which early navigators found directions and plotted their courses by the stars.
Storm Chasers
Grades 3-8, 50-Minute Duration
Program Fee $6.00/child (plus Museum admission)
Explore how weather affects flight in a challenging foul-weather flight simulation. Discover thunderstorms and other weather hazards and how they affect aircraft, and then enter the Flight Sim Zone to embark on a realistic mission into inclement conditions. It’s a thrilling adventure to the edge of aviation!
Pre-School
Flight Explorers
Ages 3-5, 30-Minute Duration
Program Fee $6.00/child (plus Museum admission if applicable)
A special hands-on exploration of flight for our youngest aviators! Get up close to a real airplane and reach out to touch it while learning the names of the basic parts. Build and launch a fun-flying, super-durable glider and more in an awesome age-appropriate adventure.
Fee Waivers for Low Income Schools Public K-12 schools with an Identified Student Percentage of at least 30% of students qualified to receive free or reduced price meals under federal guidelines may request a fee waiver towards student admission, student hands-on programs, and transportation reimbursement.
Low income schools receiving an admission/program fee waiver may generally visit on any available date and participate in any program covered by the admission waiver.
To apply, fill out the field trip request form and select "apply for grant" at the end of the form.
Fee Waivers for all Schools Any public or private K-12 school group visiting on an advanced reservation with 12 or more students may visit the Hiller Aviation Museum at no charge at select times during the year under one of the following programs:
- Mondays at the Museum - complimentary admission to K-12 school groups of 12 or more students visiting on an advanced reservation during non-holiday Mondays September 2023 - May 2024. Fees for optional hands-on programs, guided tours, and adult admissions apply.
- Aero Design Challenge - an intensive hands-on engineering experience provided at no student charge. Open to groups of 30+ students Grades 4-8, November 2023 - April 2024. Adult admissions fees apply.
Reservations must be booked in advance of consideration of any and all school program assistance requests. Contact the Education office, education@hillerstage.bglobal.com or (650) 654-0200 x 212, for more information.