In 1991, Floyd Wilson, a former commander of the Carolinas Wing of the Confederate Air Force, and his wife Lois founded the Carolinas Historic Aviation Commission.[1] The following year, Rowan County launched a bid to locate the proposed museum at the local airport. Two hangars at Charlotte Douglas International Airport had been donated to CHAC, but had to be moved to make room for expansion.[2][a] In 1994, the group put together a proposal to display a B-25 that was to be recovered from Lake Murray.[4][b]
The museum received its first school group in early 1994.[6] In 1996, the museum purchased a DC-3 from US Airways that had been painted to resemble an example operated by Piedmont Airlines.[7]
By 2004, the museum had purchased a prefabricated hangar from US Airways and planned to erect it on its grounds.[8]
The museum acquired a building from Morris Field, which it dedicated as the Thomas W. Ferebee Building in October 2005.[9]
The museum was initially located in the airport's original 1936 hangar, built by the Works Progress Administration. However, the construction of a new taxiway forced the museum to relocate to the 40,000sqft (3,700m2) former Wachovia Bank hangar, where it reopened on 10 June 2010.[10][11] The new facility has enabled the majority of the aircraft to be inside a climate-controlled facility, as well as allowing for new displays.[citation needed]
The museum operated three flyable aircraft, a DC-3 and two OV-1Ds, until the late 2000s.[12][13][14]
Acquisition of US Airways Flight 1549 Aircraft
Case containing Capt. Sullenberger's and First Officer Skiles's uniforms
In January 2011, the Carolinas Aviation Museum acquired the Airbus A320 involved in US Airways Flight 1549 from the insurance company, AIG, who donated the aircraft to the museum.[15][16] 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.[c] The transportation took 7 days, between June 4 and 10, 2011, and covered 788 miles (1,268km) through New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, and North Carolina.[17] Because the fuselage was transported in one piece, as it was when it was recovered from the river, the truck was 190 feet (58m) long.[18] The journey attracted significant media interest.[19]
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 preserved as opposed to restored with dents from the birds and tugboat.[20] In addition to the airframe, Captain Sullenberger and First Officer Skiles contributed their uniforms to the museum's 1549 exhibit.[21][22]
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, on January 15, 2013. The museum opened a major new exhibit surrounding Flight 1549 with artifacts such as Captain Sullenberger's uniform in August 2012.[11]
A DC-7 owned by the Historic Flight Foundation arrived at the museum in November 2011 to give rides to give a ride to Sullenberger and Skiles.[25] However, it suffered an engine failure on takeoff for its return flight to Florida and was grounded.[26][d]
In July 2019, the museum closed to the public and all aircraft were moved into temporary storage in preparation for the new facility.[e] The museum developed plans for a new location with a planned re-opening in 2024.[28][failed verification] In June 2021, the museum announced plans to reopen with a new main gallery and welcome center adjacent to the original 1932 hangar.[29]
On January 14, 2022, the museum announced that it would be renamed the Sullenberger Aviation Museum for Chesley B. "Sully" Sullenberger. The renaming honors Captain Sullenberger's emergency landing of US Airways Flight 1549 on the Hudson River in 2009, an event known as the Miracle on the Hudson. The museum features a permanent exhibit of the events. Also, the museum announced a US$1million gift from Red Ventures CEO Ric Elias, who survived the flight, and a US$500,000 gift from Lonely Planet.[30] The museum broke ground on its new facility in September 2022.[31]
In October 2023, as part of the rebuilding process, the museum announced a new logo.[32]
In advance of the official opening, which took place on June 1, 2024, a ribbon cutting was held on May 29, 2024, with Sullenberger himself attending.[33] The museum's president, Stephen Saucier, announced he would be retiring at the end of the fiscal year in January 2025.[34]
Exhibits
The museum is divided into three different galleries called Aviation City, Aviation Society and Innovation Nation. Aviation City displays a DC-3, an air traffic control console, an airport beacon and other items and is located in the airport's original 1936 hangar.[35][36] Aviation Society has an F-14 and Ercoupe.[37] Innovation Nation exhibits an F-4S, TV-1 and the A320 from US Airways Flight 1549.[38] The latter is displayed in an as-recovered condition, including everything that was in the aircraft except the passengers' personal belongings.[18]
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 airport was the aircraft's next stop on the day of the accident.
↑ The aircraft was later donated to the museum.[26]
↑ Prior to this, the museum also maintained the Dolph Overton Aviation Library and the Dobbs House restoration facility at other locations around the airport.[27]
↑ Birch, Matt (Summer 2013). "The Last Flight of the First GII"(PDF). Waypoint. Savannah, Georgia: Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation. Retrieved July 31, 2017.
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