Soar Through History: Visiting the Sullenberger Aviation Museum in Charlotte, NC

🛩️Welcome to the Sullenberger Aviation Museum (SAM)

From historic hangars to the real “Miracle on the Hudson” jet, this museum brings aviation to life in a way that’s both educational, thought-provoking, and seriously fun.

Enter the Museum

You’ll enter and exit the museum through the beautiful, airplane-themed gift shop — and honestly, it’s worth a visit all on its own! This is where you’ll grab your tickets, browse shelves full of model planes, museum shirts, die-cast collectibles, and more. It’s a great place to pick up a memento or just let the kids admire everything aviation.

After the gift shop, you’ll find a lobby area with restrooms and water fountains (we know how important that is for families!). From there, big glass doors open to the museum’s outdoor aviation plaza.

Outdoor Plane Plaza: Planes & Real-Time Flyovers

Once you step outside, you’re just steps from nine planes, helicopters, and even a tank on display. Each one has signage with cool facts and stories. The best part? The yard is right next to the Charlotte Douglas International Airport — so while you’re exploring, you’ll hear and see commercial jets taking off and landing. It adds an exciting, real-world soundtrack to the visit!

There are benches where you can sit and watch the runways, making this a relaxing stop for aviation lovers of all ages.

In the summer heat, you’ll want to make sure to visit this outdoor area first. There is little to no shade on the plaza, because that would be awfully difficult to do with all the aircraft around. However, all of the surrounding buildings are well air-conditioned. So all you have to do is pop inside to cool down.

Main Gallery: Planes, Simulators & Digital Fun

After the outdoor plaza, you can head to the Main Gallery Building. This massive indoor space is filled with 20+ aircraft and lots of interactive exhibits. The lighting is dim, the planes and information signs are lit up, and the atmosphere is just cool.

Here’s what to expect:

• “Miracle on the Hudson” Exhibit: See the actual US Airways plane Captain Sullenberger landed on the Hudson River! You can view the extensive damage from the water landing, read firsthand accounts from passengers and crew, and watch a short film about the flight every 15 minutes.
• Interactive tablets: Hold them up to a plane, and watch fun facts and parts informattion pop up right on screen!
• Hands-on exhibits: Puzzle through loading cargo, x-ray luggage, create paper flying machines, and more.
• Flight simulators & cockpits: Try out the controls and test your flying skills.
• Honeywell Makerspace: A creativity hub for kids to explore STEM and aviation tech.

How long should you stay? You can breeze through in about an hour, but if your family wants to try the simulators, watch the video, and really dive into the stories — plan for 2 or even 3 hours here.

We really enjoyed this gallery. It caters to a wide variety of ages in you can simply be in awe of the planes and have fun on the simulators and pop into a few cockpits, or you can really dig into the history and science of each plane and story. So, there’s really something to be enjoyed by people of all ages and interest levels.

✈️ Historic Hangar: Charlotte’s Aviation Roots

When you’re done with the main gallery, head back outside and walk over to the Historic Hangar. This was the original Charlotte airport hangar, and it now houses five vintage aircraft with stories that highlight Charlotte’s aviation history.

Inside you’ll find:

• A live flight board showing real-time takeoffs and landings from Charlotte Douglas.
• A fantastic T-33A Shooting Star flight simulator (kid favorite!).
• Exhibits about the growth of the Charlotte airport.

While this was a smaller building, the kids really liked the simulator here. We were wowed watching the real-time flight traffic on the board, especially since we had just flown into the airport the previous week.

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Kid Reviews: “Flying Is Hard!”

You’ve already read what parents thought about the visit in this Sullenberger Aviation Museum review, but how about the kids? Read on to see what they had to say.

Here’s what one young museum-goer had to say:

“The things I liked most about the museum are the simulators. They showed how hard it is to fly, as well as teaching you about the basic controls. It makes you think what pilots have to do every day.”

We couldn’t agree more — it’s a place that blends play and learning in the best way.

Teens Visiting the Museum say:

“I really liked how many different kinds of planes they had, from an F-14 to a Hercules, to different helicopters used throughout history. The Sullenberger Museum puts special emphasis on the history behind each exhibit and plane. Of course, it would be wrong not to mention the helpful staff and volunteers ready to talk and teach about anything in the museum.”

The Sullenberger Aviation Museum also offers birthday parties, summer camps, and field trips!

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Museum Details

Sullenberger Aviation Museum
Address: 4672 First Flight Drive, Charlotte, NC 28208
Hours:

• Tuesday – Saturday: 10 am – 4:30 pm
• Sunday: 12 pm – 4:30 pm
• Closed Mondays

Tickets: Sullenberger Aviation Museum tickets cost $24 per adult, $18 for children ages 5 to 17, and $20 for seniors 65+. Kids under 5 are FREE. You can purchase tickets online in advance or at the door.

Tip: Check the museum’s website for ticket prices and any special event days before you go. Sometimes the museum closes early for special events. Check the Sullenberger Museum Calendar before you plan your visit.

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