Main display hangar, Carolinas Aviation Museum, Charlotte, NC

Carolinas Aviation Museum 2012 Main Hangar Entrance

The Carolinas Aviation Museum is an aviation museum on the grounds of

Charlotte Douglas International Airport Charlotte Douglas International Airport ( IATA: CLT, ICAO: KCLT, FAA LID: CLT), typically referred to as Charlotte Douglas, Douglas Airport, or simply CLT, is an international airport in Charlotte, North Carolina, located roughly six miles we ...

Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...

. It is one of a few aviation museums located at an airport which serves as a major hub (Charlotte is the #2 hub for

American Airlines American Airlines is a major airlines of the United States, major US-based airline headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, within the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. It is the Largest airlines in the world, largest airline in the world when measured ...

). Its centerpiece attraction is the

Airbus A320 The Airbus A320 family is a series of Narrow-body aircraft, narrow-body airliners developed and produced by Airbus. The A320 was launched in March 1984, Maiden flight, first flew on 22 February 1987, and was introduced in April 1988 by Air F ...

used on

US Airways Flight 1549 US Airways Flight 1549 was a regularly scheduled US Airways flight from New York City (LaGuardia Airport), to Charlotte, North Carolina, Charlotte and Seattle, in the United States. On January 15, 2009, the Airbus A320 serving the flight bir ...

Overview

The museum was founded in 1992 by Floyd and Lois Peithman Wilson, and has a collection of over 50 static

aircraft An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air. It 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 ...

and many smaller historic items related to

aviation Aviation includes the activities surrounding mechanical flight and the aircraft industry. ''Aircraft'' includes fixed-wing and rotary-wing types, morphable wings, wing-less lifting bodies, as well as lighter-than-air craft such as hot air ...

in North Carolina and

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

. Most of the collection consists of

Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...

military aircraft, including several historic

jet aircraft A jet aircraft (or simply jet) is an aircraft (nearly always a fixed-wing aircraft) propelled by jet engines. Whereas the engines in propeller-powered aircraft generally achieve their maximum efficiency at much lower speeds and altitudes, je ...

from the 1950s and 1960s. Several aircraft came from the closed

Florence Air & Missile Museum The Florence Air & Missile Museum was an aviation museum previously located at the entrance to the Florence Regional Airport, in Florence, South Carolina. The museum closed at the end of 1997. The airport was originally known as Florence Army Ai ...

, in Florence, South Carolina. A significant number of aircraft have also come from

Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point or MCAS Cherry Point (*) is a United States Marine Corps airfield located in Havelock, North Carolina, United States, in the eastern part of the state. It was built in 1941, and was commissioned in 1942 and ...

and

Marine Corps Air Station New River Marine Corps Air Station New River is a United States Marine Corps helicopter and tilt-rotor base in Jacksonville, North Carolina, in the eastern part of the state. In 1972, the airfield was named McCutcheon Field for General Keith B. McCutcheon ...

. The museum no longer operates flying aircraft, however, due to its location on

Charlotte-Douglas International Airport Charlotte Douglas International Airport (IATA: CLT, ICAO: KCLT, FAA LID: CLT), typically referred to as Charlotte Douglas, Douglas Airport, or simply CLT, is an international airport in Charlotte, North Carolina, located roughly six miles west ...

property, it has on occasion hosted historic aircraft for fly-ins. Those aircraft include the

B-17 The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is a four-engined heavy bomber developed in the 1930s for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC). Relatively fast and high-flying for a bomber of its era, the B-17 was used primarily in the European Theater ...

B-24 The Consolidated B-24 Liberator is an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and some initial production aircraft were laid down as export models des ...

B-29 The Boeing B-29 Superfortress is an American four-engined propeller-driven heavy bomber, designed by Boeing and flown primarily by the United States during World War II and the Korean War. Named in allusion to its predecessor, the B-17 Fly ...

and

Berlin Airlift The Berlin Blockade (24 June 1948 – 12 May 1949) was one of the first major international crises of the Cold War. During the multinational occupation of post–World War II Germany, the Soviet Union blocked the Western Allies' railway, road ...

C-54 The Douglas C-54 Skymaster is a four-engined transport aircraft used by the United States Army Air Forces in World War II and the Korean War. Like the Douglas C-47 Skytrain derived from the DC-3, the C-54 Skymaster was derived from a civilian a ...

. Until April 2010, the museum was located in the airport's original 1932 hangar, built by the

Works Progress Administration The Works Progress Administration (WPA; renamed in 1939 as the Work Projects Administration) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to carry out public works projects, i ...

. The museum moved into a new facility at the

at 4672 First Flight Drive. The new facility enabled the majority of the aircraft to be inside a climate-controlled facility and allowed for new displays. In October 2012, the museum became a

Smithsonian affiliate Smithsonian Affiliations is a division of the Smithsonian Institution that establishes long-term partnerships with non-Smithsonian museums and educational and cultural organizations in order to share collections, exhibitions and educational stra ...

. In July 2019, the museum closed to the public and all aircraft were moved into temporary storage in preparation for the new facility. The museum is currently working to develop plans for a new location with a planned re-opening in 2022. In June 2021, the museum announced plans to reopen with a new main gallery and welcome center adjacent to the original 1932 hangar. The museum announced on January 14, 2022 that it would be named for Chesley B. "Sully" Sullenberger. In 2023, the museum will house a permanent Miracle on the Hudson exhibit. Also, the museum announced a $1 million gift from

Red Ventures Red Ventures is an American media company, which owns and operates brands such as Lonely Planet, CNET, ZDNet, The Points Guy, Healthline and Bankrate. Red Ventures focuses on sites that dispense news, advice, and reviews. The company's corporat ...

CEO Ric Elias, who survived the flight, and a $500,000 gift from

Lonely Planet Lonely Planet is a travel guide book publisher. Founded in Australia in 1973, the company has printed over 150 million books. History Early years Lonely Planet was founded by married couple Maureen and Tony Wheeler. In 1972, they embarked ...

. The museum broke ground on its new facility in September 2022.

Collections and aircraft

The museum's collections include: * Major Dolph D. Overton III USAF *

Piedmont Airlines Piedmont Airlines, Inc. is an American regional airline headquartered at the Salisbury Regional Airport in unincorporated Wicomico County, Maryland, near the city of Salisbury. The airline is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the American Airlines ...

Historical Society * Preddy Memorial Foundation (

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, Preddy Brothers artifacts) *The Chesley B. "Sully" Sullenberger collection, acquired by the museum in August 2018. This collection includes letters and items given to Captain Sullenberger after the successful emergency water landing of U.S. Airways Flight 1549 in January 2009.

Aircraft in collection

Carolinas Aviation Museum F-14 AV8B Harrier

Airbus A320-214 The Airbus A320 family is a series of narrow-body airliners developed and produced by Airbus. The A320 was launched in March 1984, first flew on 22 February 1987, and was introduced in April 1988 by Air France. The first member of the famil ...

c/n 1044 N106US – "

Miracle on the Hudson US Airways Flight 1549 was a regularly scheduled US Airways flight from New York City (LaGuardia Airport), to Charlotte and Seattle, in the United States. On January 15, 2009, the Airbus A320 serving the flight struck a flock of birds short ...

" aircraft *

Beechcraft T-34 Mentor The Beechcraft T-34 Mentor is an American propeller-driven, single-engined, military trainer aircraft derived from the Beechcraft Model 35 Bonanza. The earlier versions of the T-34, dating from around the late 1940s to the 1950s, were piston- ...

– On loan from the

National Museum of the Marine Corps The National Museum of the Marine Corps is the historical museum of the United States Marine Corps. Located in Triangle, Virginia near MCB Quantico, the museum opened on November 10, 2006, and is now one of the top tourist attractions in the st ...

. *

Bell AH-1 Cobra The Bell AH-1 Cobra is a single-engined attack helicopter developed and manufactured by the American rotorcraft manufacturer Bell Helicopter. A member of the prolific Huey family, the AH-1 is also referred to as the HueyCobra or Snake. The A ...

– On loan from National Museum of the Marine Corps. *

Bell UH-1 Iroquois The Bell UH-1 Iroquois (nicknamed "Huey") is a utility military helicopter designed and produced by the American aerospace company Bell Helicopter. It is the first member of the prolific Huey family, as well as the first turbine-powered helic ...

* Bellanca 14-9L Crusair c/n 1037 / N1KQ * Ercoupe 415-C c/n 3805 / N3180H * Long/Schweizer Midget Mustang c/n 100001 *

Boeing KC-97 Stratofreighter The Boeing KC-97 Stratofreighter is a four-engined, piston-powered United States strategic tanker aircraft based on the Boeing C-97 Stratofreighter. It replaced the KB-29 and was succeeded by the Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker. Design and developm ...

Serial ''53-0335'' – (Cockpit Only) * Boeing N2S Kaydet BuNo ''15923'' / N48272 –

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

* Boeing Vertol CH-46D Sea Knight BuNo ''153389'' USMC – Medal of Honor Winner Vietnam War *

Cessna 150 The Cessna 150 is a two-seat tricycle gear general aviation airplane that was designed for flight training, touring and personal use.Plane and Pilot: ''1978 Aircraft Directory'', pages 22-23. Werner & Werner Corp, Santa Monica CA, 1977. In 19 ...

L Serial ''15074276'' N19253 – * Convair YF-102 Delta Dagger ''53-1788'' *

Douglas DC-3 The Douglas DC-3 is a propeller-driven airliner manufactured by Douglas Aircraft Company, which had a lasting effect on the airline industry in the 1930s to 1940s and World War II. It was developed as a larger, improved 14-bed sleeper version ...

N44V (Piedmont Airlines markings) – Former C-47 *

Douglas A-26C Invader The Douglas A-26 Invader (designated B-26 between 1948 and 1965) is an American twin-engined light bomber and ground attack aircraft. Built by Douglas Aircraft Company during World War II, the Invader also saw service during several major ...

Serial ''44-35752'' – (Storage) *

Douglas D-558-1 Skystreak The Douglas Skystreak (D-558-1 or D-558-I) was an American single-engine jet research aircraft of the 1940s. It was designed in 1945 by the Douglas Aircraft Company for the U.S. Navy Bureau of Aeronautics, in conjunction with the National Advisor ...

BuNo ''37972'' – This was third Skystreak of three, last flown by Scott Crossfield * Douglas A4D-1 Skyhawk BuNo ''142226'' – US Marines 156th of 2960 built *

Douglas DC-7B The Douglas DC-7 is an American transport aircraft built by the Douglas Aircraft Company from 1953 to 1958. A derivative of the DC-6, it was the last major piston engine-powered transport made by Douglas, being developed shortly after the ea ...

N836D (Eastern Airlines) – Flyable *

Grumman Gulfstream II The Gulfstream II (G-II) is an American twin engine business jet designed and built by Grumman and then in succession, Grumman American and finally Gulfstream American. Its Grumman model number is G-1159 and its US military designation is C-11A. ...

Serial 001 / N55RG (Arrived September 2012) * Grumman OV-1D Mohawk Serial ''62-5890'' * Grumman OV-1D Mohawk Serial ''62-5874'' * Grumman F-14D Super Tomcat BuNo ''161166'' * Kaman HOK-1 BuNo ''139990'' *

LTV A-7E Corsair II The LTV A-7 Corsair II is an American carrier-capable subsonic light attack aircraft designed and manufactured by Ling-Temco-Vought (LTV). The A-7 was developed during the early 1960s as replacement for the Douglas A-4 Skyhawk. Its design was ...

BuNo ''159971'', Desert Storm, USS ''John F. Kennedy'' * Lockheed EC-130E Hercules 62–1857, United States Air Force, Vietnam,

Operation Eagle Claw Operation Eagle Claw, known as Operation Tabas ( fa, عملیات طبس) in Iran, was a failed operation by the United States Armed Forces ordered by U.S. President Jimmy Carter to attempt the rescue of 52 embassy staff held captive at the ...

, Grenada, Desert Shield, Desert Storm & Bosnia * Lockheed TV-1/

P-80 The Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star was the first jet fighter used operationally by the United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United ...

(#1) Shooting Star BuNo ''33866'' * Lockheed P-80 (#2) – (In Storage) * Lockheed TV-2/

T-33 The Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star (or T-Bird) is an American subsonic jet trainer. It was produced by Lockheed and made its first flight in 1948. The T-33 was developed from the Lockheed P-80/F-80 starting as TP-80C/TF-80C in development, then d ...

(#3) Shooting Star Ser ?? – (In Storage) * Lockheed TV-2/T-33 (#4) Shooting Star Ser ?? – (#2 In Storage) *

McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier II The McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) AV-8B Harrier II is a single-engine ground-attack aircraft that constitutes the second generation of the Harrier family, capable of vertical or short takeoff and landing (V/STOL). The aircraft is primari ...

BuNo ''161397'' – United States Marines, #3 U.S. Built Harrier / #2 Flight test aircraft - 5000+ hrs of test flight time. * McDonnell Douglas F-4S Phantom II BuNo ''155872'' * McDonnell Douglas F-4S Phantom II BuNo ''158353'' – (Cockpit Only) * McDonnell Douglas F-101B Voodoo Serial ''56-0243'' * North American T-28B Trojan BuNo ''138258'' – United States Army * North American T-2A Buckeye BuNo ''148239'' *

North American F-86L Sabre The North American F-86D/K/L Sabre (initially known as the YF-95 and widely known informally as the "Sabre Dog",) was an American transonic jet fighter aircraft. Developed for the United States Air Force in the late 1940s, it was an interceptor ...

Serial ''52-4159'' – (In Storage) * North American F-100F Super Sabre Serial ?? – (In Storage) * North American F-100D Super Sabre Serial ?? – (Storage) * Republic F-84G Thunderjet Serial ''53-3253'' – Donated by

Charlotte Aircraft Corporation Charlotte Aircraft Corporation is a company headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina which deals in used aircraft and aircraft parts. The company was founded by Jenks Caldwell Sr. in 1953. Today the company is run by his son Jenks Caldwell Jr. ...

Savoia-Marchetti S.56 The Savoia-Marchetti S.56 was an Italian single-engine biplane flying boat trainer and tourer, built by Savoia-Marchetti. Of unequal span, the upper longer than the lower, Donald 1997, p.820. of wooden construction. Instructor and student sat s ...

Serial ''07'' – On Loan from the

Reynolda House Museum of American Art The Reynolda House Museum of American Art displays a premiere collection of American art ranging from the colonial period to the present. Built in 1917 by Katharine Smith Reynolds and her husband R. J. Reynolds, founder of the R. J. Reynolds Toba ...

Sikorsky HH-3 The Sikorsky SH-3 Sea King (company designation S-61) is an American twin-engined anti-submarine warfare (ASW) helicopter designed and built by Sikorsky Aircraft. A landmark design, it was one of the first ASW rotorcraft to use turboshaft engin ...

USAF Jolly Green Giant – On Loan from the

National Museum of the United States Air Force The National Museum of the United States Air Force (formerly the United States Air Force Museum) is the official museum of the United States Air Force located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, northeast of Dayton, Ohio. The NMUSAF is the ...

Sikorsky S-51 The Sikorsky H-5 (initially designated R-5 and also known as S-48, S-51 and by company designation VS-327Fitzsimons, Bernard, (general editor). ''Illustrated Encyclopedia of 20th Century Weapons and Warfare'' (London: Phoebus, 1978), Volume 20, ...

Dragon Fly – On Loan from the National Museum of the Marine Corps. * Sikorsky CH-53A Sea Stallion – Loan from the National Museum of the Marine Corps - came from Pax River and Quantico *

Sopwith Camel The Sopwith Camel is a British First World War single-seat biplane fighter aircraft that was introduced on the Western Front in 1917. It was developed by the Sopwith Aviation Company as a successor to the Sopwith Pup and became one of the b ...

– Replica * Wright brothers 1902 Wright Glider (Reproduction) – On Display at Charlotte-Douglas Airport * Wright brothers 1903 Wright Flyer (Reproduction) – On display in main museum *

Waco CG-15 The Waco CG-15 was an American military glider, which was developed from the CG-4. Although outwardly similar to its predecessor and carrying the same number of passengers, a number of changes in the design, including shortened wings and a more ...

– United States Army Air Forces - In Storage recovered from South Carolina

US Airways Heritage Collection

Carolinas Aviation Museum DC-3 1549 Exhibit Entrance Wall

The museum holds a large collection of artifacts and memorabilia from various legacy airlines which merged into the now-defunct US Airways. The museum's special collections and archival material are currently in storage and inaccessible for research. The collection includes artifacts from: *

Allegheny Airlines Allegheny Airlines was a regional airline that operated out of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from 1952 to 1979 with routes primarily located in the eastern U.S. It was the forerunner of USAir that was subsequently renamed US Airways, which itself me ...

America West America West Airlines was a major American airline, founded in 1981, with service commencing in 1983, and having reached US$1 billion in annual revenue in 1989, headquartered in Tempe, Arizona. At the time of its acquisition of US Airways, Americ ...

Mohawk Airlines Mohawk Airlines was a regional passenger airline operating in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, mainly in New York and Pennsylvania, from the mid-1940s until its acquisition by Allegheny Airlines in 1972. At its height, it employe ...

Pacific Southwest Airlines Pacific Southwest Airlines (PSA) was a regional U.S. airline headquartered in San Diego, California, that operated from 1949 to 1998. It was the first large discount airline in the United States. PSA called itself "The World's Friendliest Airl ...

(PSA) *Other legacy carriers

Acquisition of US Airways Flight 1549 Airbus

Carolinas Aviation Museum Miracle on Hudson Display Case

On January 15, 2009,

took off from New York's

LaGuardia Airport LaGuardia Airport is a civil airport in East Elmhurst, Queens, New York City. Covering , the facility was established in 1929 and began operating as a public airport in 1939. It is named after former New York City mayor Fiorello La Guardia. ...

for a flight to

Charlotte Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont (United States), Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Meckl ...

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

, when multiple bird strikes a few minutes after takeoff forced a ditching in the

Hudson River The Hudson River is a river that flows from north to south primarily through eastern New York. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York and flows southward through the Hudson Valley to the New York Harbor between N ...

. The ditching and subsequent rescue operations were accomplished without loss of life. The aircraft, an A320-214, was eventually recovered from the river. US Airways Flight 1549 (N106US) after crashing into the Hudson River (crop 2)

US Airways Flight 1549 (N106US) after crashing into the Hudson River (crop 2)

In January 2011, the Carolinas Aviation Museum acquired the entire airframe from the insurance company, AIG, who donated the aircraft to the museum. The airframe was transported by road from its storage location at J Supor & Son Trucking & Rigging Co. Inc. in Kearny,

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

to the museum at

. The transportation took 7 days, between June 4 and 10, 2011, and covered 788 miles through New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia & North Carolina. Because the fuselage was transported in one piece, as it was when it was recovered from the river, the truck was 190 feet long. Virtually everything except the passengers' personal belongings are still in the airplane. The landing gear pins, fire axe, and the manuals were still in the cockpit, and the Coke cans were still in the beverage carts. The airframe has been reassembled and was on display from 2011 to 2019 in the same configuration as it was when it was pulled out of the Hudson River in January 2009. The airframe is being conserved as opposed to restored with dents from the birds and tugboat. In addition to the airframe, Captain Sullenberger and First Officer Skiles have contributed their uniforms to the museum's 1549 exhibit. The aircraft arrived in June 2011, and reassembly of the main components took about one year. The engines arrived in May 2012 and were planned to be reassembled in time for the fourth anniversary of the landing in the Hudson (January 15, 2013). The museum opened a major new exhibit surrounding Flight 1549 with artifacts such as Captain Sullenberger's uniform in August 2012. The aircraft is currently in storage as the museum designs a new facility, set to open in 2023.

References

External links

Video about the move of the airplane (June 2011)
{{authority control Aerospace museums in North Carolina Museums in Charlotte, North Carolina Museums established in 1992 1992 establishments in North Carolina