Aviation News Item: 02199

15th Oct 2009

Source: verticalmag.com

The Hiller Aviation Museum joins a small group of museums and cultural institutions as a partner in the Smithsonian Affiliations Program. The Smithsonian Affiliations program allows selected organizations to have greater access to the collections and educational resources of the 47 museums, libraries, and research centers in the Smithsonian network.

Established in 1996, the Smithsonian Affiliations Program has built partnerships with more than 160 museums, educational and cultural organizations in 41 states, D.C., Panama, and Puerto Rico. The program allows Affiliates to obtain long-term loans of art, artifacts, and books from many of the Smithsonian's collections and fosters resource sharing, educational initiatives, scholarly exchange, and research efforts. Affiliate organizations are selected for their high quality of exhibitions, scholarship, and museum educational programs.

Among the collections that will be available to the Hiller Aviation Museum are artifacts from the National Air and Space Museum, which houses over 50,000 artifacts in two public display facilities including the museum on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., and the recently opened Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia. The Hiller Aviation Museum, which has conducted aircraft restoration work for the Smithsonian museums in the past, is currently planning a renovation of its existing display gallery and looks forward to fruitful collaboration with the Smithsonian in the near future.

"The collaboration between the Hiller Aviation Museum and the Smithsonian Institution provides an excellent way to enrich the visitor experience," said Jeffery Bass, President & CEO. "In particular, school children who visit the museum will benefit from the educational content and learning resources that the collaboration will help make available," added Bass.

The Hiller Aviation Museum, founded and opened to the public in 1998 by helicopter designer and inventor Stanley Hiller, Jr., features over 50 aircraft from over 100 years of aviation history. The museum celebrates the spirit of discovery and innovation in the aviation pioneers whose creativity made the dream of flight a reality. The museum is a unique cultural asset and lifelong learning resource for the diverse communities of the San Francisco Bay Area. Since opening, the museum has served over 700,000 visitors, including more than 42,000 school children. Core activities include standards-based programming that supports K-12 school curricula in math, science, and history, including unique gallery tours and interactive, hands-on programs developed in partnership with NASA. Many of these programs are incorporated into offerings for the general public and families on weekends and holidays.

Admission to Hiller Aviation Museum is $11.00 for adults; $7.00 for seniors, students, and free for children under 4 and museum members. Open daily, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

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