Sullenberger Aviation Museum

One plane incident changed the faith of the former Carolinas Aviation Museum. The Charlotte museum, which is a Smithsonian affiliate, announced in 2022 that it will be the new home of the US Airways Ajrbus 320 with the registration N106US. Aviation nerds know: this is the US 1549 plane, with which captain Chesley Sully Sullenberger performed the Miracle on the Hudson. I’m an aviation nerd and simply had to visit this place. So I did, on the fifth day of the Six US States and Nashville trip in June 2025. Here is my review of the place, which changed its name to Sullenbeger Aviation Museum.

 

Sullenberger Aviation Museum – Location & Admission

The aviation museum is located at the Northeast edge of the Charlotte Airport (CLT) premises. Despite the linear distance between the terminal and the museum is less than a kilometer and would suggest an easy walk, the in-fact driving distance is roughly 4.5 miles. Walking there, according to Google, would be even longer. The only way to get there is by car or by Uber. There is a free car park in front of the museum.

Sullenberger Aviation Museum is closed on Mondays. From Tuesday to Saturday, it opens from 10:00 to 16:30. On Sunday, doors open at noon. The (pre-tax) admission is 24 USD. You have to lock backpacks and similar items into lockers, which costs an additional fee.

 

Sullenberger Aviation Museum – The Visit

The museum offers two major buildings as well as an outdoor exhibition space. There is quite a lot of documentation about the the planes and helicopters in display, from pure technical data to deeper stories. Obviously, you should not touch or climb on the exhibits. A limited number of exhibits allows to be entered. These are majorly fighting jets, but also some cockpit models and other planes.

 

Sullenberger Aviation Museum – Outdoor Exhibits

When you leave the reception desk and shop area, you are right in heart of the outdoor exhibition. The most eye-catching to me was the Douglas DC-7B, formerly used by Eastern Airlines, which is still in flyable condition. Military airplane fans might rather opt for the Lockheed EC-130E Hercules. A very interesting one is the cockpit of a Boeing KC-97 Stratofeighter. In other parts of the outdoor grounds, there are also a few helicopters and tanks.

 

Sullenberger Aviation Museum – Exhibition Halls

There are two exhibition halls, the Historic Hangar and the Main Gallery. I first stepped into the Historic Hangar.

 

Historic Hangar

The Historic Hangar of the Sullenberger Aviation Museum does not only host a plane collection, it also illustrates the history of the airport. Aviation City tells the visitors how the airport grew. There are also radar screens which give you information about the planes which are currently located around Charlotte Airport (CLT). There are also some interesting plane exhibits, though. My heart always beats stronger when I run into a Douglas C-47 / DC-3. The one in display in Charlotte has been formerly used by Piedmont Airlines. I also liked the Sopwith Camel replica. This hangar feels significantly smaller than the Main Gallery, though.

 

Main Gallery

The Main Gallery hall holds the majority of airplanes. There are also a couple of historic planes and plane replicas hanging from the ceiling. The focus is on a variety of military jets. However, there are also some civil plane exhibits. Furthermore, there are some more interactive displays. For example, you learn in a small game which airborne vessel you use for which kind of rescue and medical mission. You also learn about the history of aviation in the Carolinas and can explore a couple of aviation-related non-flying exhibits. Unfortunately, there are – again – just very few planes, which allow you to step in there and explore them more deeply.

 

The Hudson River Airplane

The key exihibit in the Main Gallery of the Sullenberger Aviation Museum (which also takes a significant part of the hall) is, of course that very special US Airways Airbus A320-214. The condition of the body of the plane after that emergency water landing is outstanding. You do see some marks, the engines are torn off as well. But overall, the body feels surprisingly intact. The aviation museum allows you walking around the whole exhibit from a rather short distance. Parts which have been ripped off during the Miracle on the Hudson landing are typically displayed separately as well.

However, there is much more you can learn about the flight. The museum drives a brief movie about the incident, including talking with passengers of the flight. You can also learn about the chronology of the flight in a major series of signs and exhibits. The Chesley B. Sully Sullenberger Collection holds multiple items gathered by the captain of the US 1549, including thankful letters. This is the reason, why you visit the Sullenberger Aviation Museum in Charlotte, finally.

 

Sullenberger Aviation Museum – Planespotting

Due to its location right at the airport, the museum is also an excellent place for plane spotting. The museum is even offering some small stands at their outdoor Airport Plaza for that reason. Also when I waited for my rideshare after visiting the museum, I had a lovely view of planes landing at the American Airlines hub.

 

Sullenberger Aviation Museum – Services

The souvenir store at the museum is a really nice and offers some cool items. Unfortunately, the clothing was just available in a limited range of sizes. The staff in the museum is really helpful, I had some really nice chats about the place during my visit. They used to drive a cafe as well. However, during my visit, there was solely the option to have drinks and some basic snacks from the store and reception desk.

 

Sullenberger Aviation Museum – My View

Visiting the Sullenberger Aviation Museum is memorable. It is nicely done and has great staff. However, even after its upgrade, it is still limited in regards of the exhibition. Finally, you go there to see the Miracle of the Hudson plane. The US Airways Airbus as well as the lovely plane spotting potential are really worth it – but the remaining exhibits simply are not even close to the “superstar” of the museum.  The directions to the museum, especially from the terminal, are an absolute nightmare, unfortunately.

 

Aviation Museums

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USA Travel Contents (2025)

Here are all my travel-related postings about the USA published in 2025: