The Sullenberger Aviation Museum, formerly the Carolinas Aviation Museum, is an aviation museum on the grounds of Charlotte Douglas International Airport in Charlotte, North Carolina.
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). Its centerpiece attraction is the Airbus A320 used on US Airways Flight 1549.
Overview
The museum was founded in 1992 by Floyd and Lois Peithman Wilson, and has a collection of over 50 static aircraft and many smaller historic items related to aviation in North Carolina and South Carolina. Most of the collection consists of Cold War military aircraft, including several historic jet aircraft from the 1950s and 1960s. Several aircraft came from the closed Florence Air & Missile Museum, in Florence, South Carolina. A significant number of aircraft have also come from Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point and Marine Corps Air Station New River. The museum no longer operates flying aircraft, however, due to its location on Charlotte-Douglas International Airport property, it has on occasion hosted historic aircraft for fly-ins. Those aircraft include the B-17, B-24, B-29 and Berlin Airlift C-54.
Until April 2010, the museum was located in the airport's original 1932 hangar, built by the Works Progress Administration. The museum moved into a new facility at the Charlotte-Douglas International Airport 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.
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 2024. 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. The museum will house a permanent Miracle on the Hudson exhibit. Also, the museum announced a $1 million gift from Red Ventures CEO Ric Elias, who survived the flight, and a $500,000 gift from Lonely Planet. 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 Historical Society Preddy Memorial Foundation (World War II, 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.