Carolinas Aviation Museum

The Carolinas Aviation Museum is an aviation museum on the grounds of Charlotte Douglas International Airport in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Carolinas Aviation Museum
Location in North Carolina
Carolinas Aviation Museum (the United States)
Established1992 (1992)
LocationCharlotte Douglas International Airport, Charlotte, North Carolina, United States
Coordinates35°13′10″N 80°55′48″W
TypeAviation museum
Visitors50,000+
FounderFloyd Swinton Wilson[1]
Websitecarolinasaviationmuseum.org
Main Display Hangar, June 2010
Main Display Hangar, August 2012

It is one of a very 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.[2] 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.[3][4]

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.[5]

Collections and aircraft
N106US on display in the museum

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

Aircraft in collection
N106US with tail reinstalled
Museum's F-14D and AV-8B Harrier

US Airways Heritage Collection
1549 Exhibit Entrance
Overhead panel in cockpit of N106US

The museum holds a large collection of artifacts and memorabilia from the various legacy airlines which have merged over the years to form the current US Airways. The museum's special collections and archival material are currently in storage and inaccessible for research.

The collection includes artifacts from:

Acquisition of US Airways Flight 1549 Airbus
Case contains Capt. Sullenberger's and First Officer Skiles's uniforms

On 15 January 2009, US Airways Flight 1549 took off from New York's LaGuardia Airport for a flight to Charlotte, North Carolina, when multiple bird strikes a few minutes after takeoff forced a ditching in the Hudson River. The ditching and subsequent rescue operations were accomplished without loss of life.[43] The aircraft, an A320-214, was eventually recovered from the river.

Flight 1549 landing on the waters of the North River

In January 2011, the Carolinas Aviation Museum acquired the entire airframe from the insurance company, AIG, who donated the aircraft to the museum.[44][45] The airframe was transported by road from its storage location at J Supor & Son Trucking & Rigging Co. Inc. in Kearny, New Jersey to the museum at Charlotte Douglas International Airport in Charlotte. The transportation took 7 days, between June 4 and June 10, 2011, and covered 788 miles through New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia & North Carolina.[46] 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.[47]

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.[48] 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.[2]

The aircraft is currently in storage as the museum designs a new facility, set to open in 2022.[49]

gollark: Can you ever have *enough* alts?
gollark: * into
gollark: Am I to generate *additional* alts?
gollark: We have that *now* and palaiologos is already abusing it for censorship.
gollark: On the plus side, they do not plan to utterly obliterate Toki Pona?

See also

References
  1. Diana, John. "Carolinas Aviation Museum - Organzational History". Carolinas Aviation Museum. Retrieved 1 August 2017.
  2. Karen Campbell (January 23, 2014). "'Miracle on the Hudson' aircraft on exhibit at Carolinas Aviation Museum". The Boston Globe. Retrieved July 24, 2016.
  3. "Carolinas Aviation Museum joins Smithsonian affiliate network". WBTV.com. Retrieved 1 August 2017.
  4. "CAM News [October 2012]". Constant Contact. October 2012. Retrieved 1 August 2017.
  5. "PREPARE FOR TAKEOFF". Carolinas Aviation Museum. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
  6. "US Airways Flight 1549 "Miracle on the Hudson"". Carolinas Aviation Museum. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
  7. "Ercoupe". Carolinas Aviation Museum. Retrieved 1 August 2017.
  8. "PT-17 Stearman Kaydet". Carolinas Aviation Museum. Archived from the original on 1 August 2017. Retrieved 1 August 2017.
  9. "CAM News [October 2015]". Constant Contact. October 2015. Retrieved 1 August 2017.
  10. "CH-46D Sea Knight". Carolinas Aviation Museum. Archived from the original on 2017-08-01. Retrieved 1 August 2017.
  11. "CAM News [May 2014]". Constant Contact. May 2014. Retrieved 1 August 2017.
  12. "Restoring the CH-46 Sea Knight" (PDF). Carolinas Aviation Museum. Retrieved 1 August 2017.
  13. "Cessna 150L". Carolinas Aviation Museum. Retrieved 1 August 2017.
  14. "CAM News [April 2014]". Constant Contact. April 2014. Retrieved 1 August 2017.
  15. "[Untitled]" (PDF). Carolinas Aviation Museum. Retrieved 1 August 2017.
  16. "Cessna 150L". Carolinas Aviation Museum. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
  17. "Piedmont DC-3". Carolinas Aviation Museum. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
  18. "[Untitled]" (PDF). Constant Contact. Retrieved 1 August 2017.
  19. "D-558-1". Carolinas Aviation Museum. Archived from the original on 1 August 2017. Retrieved 1 August 2017.
  20. "CAM News [June 2014]". Constant Contact. June 2014. Retrieved 1 August 2017.
  21. "[Untitled]" (PDF). Carolinas Aviation Museum. Retrieved 1 August 2017.
  22. "Douglas A-4A Skyhawk". Carolinas Aviation Museum. Archived from the original on 1 August 2017. Retrieved 1 August 2017.
  23. "Eastern Airlines DC-7B". Carolinas Aviation Museum. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
  24. Birch, Matt (Summer 2013). "The Last Flight of the First GII" (PDF). Waypoint. Savannah, Georgia: Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation. Retrieved 31 July 2017.
  25. "Grumman F-14D Super Tomcat". Carolinas Aviation Museum. Archived from the original on 6 March 2013. Retrieved 1 August 2017.
  26. "Vought A-7 Corsair II". Carolinas Aviation Museum. Archived from the original on 1 August 2017. Retrieved 1 August 2017.
  27. "EC-130E 62-1857". Carolinas Aviation Museum. Retrieved 1 August 2017.
  28. "History of EC-130E 62-1857" (PDF). Carolinas Aviation Museum. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 June 2017. Retrieved 1 August 2017.
  29. "CAM News [June 2013]". Constant Contact. June 2013. Retrieved 1 August 2017.
  30. "P-80". Carolinas Aviation Museum. Retrieved 1 August 2017.
  31. "AV-8 Harrier II". Carolinas Aviation Museum. Archived from the original on 2013-09-27. Retrieved 1 August 2017.
  32. "AV-8B-1 Harrier arriving at Carolinas Aviation Museum" (PDF). Constant Contact. Retrieved 1 August 2017.
  33. "McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II". Carolinas Aviation Museum. Archived from the original on 1 August 2017. Retrieved 1 August 2017.
  34. "[Untitled]" (PDF). Constant Contact. Retrieved 1 August 2017.
  35. "CAM News [September 2012]". Constant Contact. September 2012. Retrieved 1 August 2017.
  36. "CAM News [February 2013]". Constant Contact. February 2013. Retrieved 1 August 2017.
  37. "CAM News [August 2013]". Constant Contact. August 2013. Retrieved 1 August 2017.
  38. "Savoia Marchetti S.56C". Carolinas Aviation Museum. Archived from the original on 2017-08-01. Retrieved 1 August 2017.
  39. "CAM News [January 2013]". Constant Contact. January 2013. Retrieved 1 August 2017.
  40. "Sopwith Camel". Carolinas Aviation Museum. Retrieved 1 August 2017.
  41. "The Wright Flyer (Replica)". Carolinas Aviation Museum. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
  42. "CAM News [April 2013]". Constant Contact. April 2013. Retrieved 1 August 2017.
  43. Robert D. McFadden (January 15, 2009). "All Safe as US Airways Plane Crashes Into Hudson River in New York". The New York Times. Retrieved July 24, 2016.
  44. "Charlotte Museum to Display Flight 1549 Airbus". January 6, 2011. Archived from the original on January 10, 2011. Retrieved July 24, 2016.
  45. Patrick McGeehan (January 5, 2011). "Flight 1549 May Be Headed to Carolinas Aviation Museum". The New York Times. Retrieved July 24, 2016.
  46. "Flight 1549 plane arrives in Charlotte after long voyage". WECT TV6-WECT.com. Retrieved July 24, 2016.
  47. Karen Rouse (February 26, 2011). "'Miracle on the Hudson' plane stored in N.J. ready to take final journey". Northjersey.com. Retrieved July 24, 2016.
  48. "US Airways Flight 1549, Known For The 'Miracle On The Hudson' Headed To Charlotte Museum For Display". Newyork.cbslocal.com. Retrieved July 24, 2016.
  49. "Prepare for Takeoff". Retrieved May 24, 2020.
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