Could it have been better? I think yes, maybe. I worked for EAL for 11 years and Donna retired with AA and worked previously with USAir. We were both a bit disappointed with the museum overall simply for the lack of more updated displays. We went on a Saturday afternoon, wasn't crowded at all. The 'highlight' was the Cactus 1549, the USAir A320 'miracle on the Hudson. It was fascinating, a video, some sound and light special effects and very short at about 10 minutes. A rather small 'bleacher' seat viewing area. Fortunately the seats were 'padded'. As former Airline employees we got in for $20 bucks each. After viewing the entire museum, I'm not sure it was worth that much. The have a well stocked and large 'merchandise' sales area. There were many Staff members that were available to answer questions. Shout out to Rick Elias, CEO of Red Ventures and a passenger on the flight. He's responsible for contributing $1.5 Million to change the name from Carolina's Aviation Museum to the Sullenberger Aviation Museum to honor Capt Sullenberger. It will also have a focused STEM program. read more

One of my neighbors is always raving about how incredible the Sullenberger Museum is. The stars aligned one morning and I was able to take the trip to Charlotte Douglas to check out the museum. Admission was $25 so after forking up the money, I was able to start exploring the exhibit. The recommended route begins with checking out the historic hangar, which is the oldest hangar at the airport. There are about 5 older planes in the exhibit, where you can also learn about the history of the airport. Next, you'll walk through the courtyard to check out the planes located there. About 5 larger planes are parked out there. The heat can beat down on you pretty heavy so drink water and admire quick. My favorite part of the whole museum was located in the courtyard, the airport overlook spot. One is able to watch planes land and take off, less than 100 meters away. I could spend hours just here watching the planes. Finally, the last part of the exhibit is place in the biggest hanger. Old and new, the hangar is teeming with planes and helicopters. They also have Flight 1549 located inside the hangar. There's a 10 minute documentary accompanying the plane as well, but be aware, there are a couple of jumpscares. Towards the back of this hangar, there is also a flight simulator where you can attempt to land a smaller plane. After completing the landing, I have further reinforced my delusion that I could land a plane in an emergency landing. All in all, I had a wonderful time checking out this aviation museum. Charlotte has a much bigger aviation industry than I ever realized. It's such a pleasant sight to see how rich with exhibits and history our museum gets to be. read more

Always fun to see but today was extra special, we found out yesterday that the paver brick to the pathway of flight that I had purchased for my wife for her birthday had been placed towards the entrance. There's thousands of pavers that are placed in the courtyard before you go into the hangers for people that wanted something special for themselves or for a family member will they started running out of space in the front when you walk in and we were very honored my wife had hers put there my wife is a big Aviation fanatic and being in the industry for 31 years we've seen dozens of air museums and this one was very special to us. read more

See all

I really enjoyed visiting the Sullenberger Aviation Museum. The historical planes were definitely my favorite part--it was amazing to see how aircraft have changed over time as well as many of the uniforms worn in commercial airline travel. Each plane felt like it had its own story, and the way everything was set up made it easy to appreciate the history behind them. Each section of the museum was carefully curated with the help of the Smithsonian. It wasn't just interesting, it was interactive. I'd definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys history or aviation. It's also a nice place to visit if you have a layover at Charlotte, as this museum is located close to the airport and only takes about 2 hours to completely explore! read more

See all

Paid a visit with my son and 2 nephews and they had a great time. So much information and so many aircraft. They had about 3 different areas to sit in the cockpits or seats and press every button they could possibly be curious about. The staff is very knowledgeable and very eager to show you around and tell you all about the aircraft. I was very appreciative of this, with all the details all around us. The lay out is great, intriguing and the lighting makes it even cooler. The Miracle on the Hudson exhibit is a must see! The plane is there to check out up close. We absolutely loved that part! A lot of military aircraft with some background on influential people that have made impacts. The location is pretty cool, right next to the CLT runways, where you see the planes landing and taking off as you enter, exit or walk around the museum grounds. This was a great visit overall, great museum! read more

See all

What's hiding near the runways at CLT? A phenomenal aviation museum with old military planes, helicopters, and the Miracle in the Hudson plane. This was a great way to spend a few hours with my tween son though younger and older kids would enjoy the museum too. There were many interactive displays regarding the history and advancements in aviation. The highlight is seeing the Miracle on the Hudson plane along with videos from the passengers and a display of recovered items. My son enjoyed the landing simulator with realistic video showing the runway and surroundings. In addition they had a plane raft simulation where kids climbed into a raft and found items to survive. A retired flight attendant led the kids through the activity and it was a great opportunity to understand how to enter and use that raft should you ever need it. With all of the hands on displays the Aviation Museum is a great way to spend a few hours on your own or with the family. read more

See all

What an amazing museum! My son didn't have school today so we decided to come and check out the Sullenberger Aviation museum. And, boy am I glad we did! This museum is right in between the naval base and the airport, so you get to watch planes land and takeoff, which is really cool! From the moment we walked in we were greeted right away. The lady at the counter was extremely polite! She gave us a run down of what to expect since it was our first visit, and I could really appreciate that! The floor plan was really easy to follow, they have so many exhibits with so much information every where you turn. It was clean and organized with plenty of interactive exhibits for everyone, young and old. They have multiple flight simulators, which was really cool! If you successfully land the plane you get a pilots license!! Once you're done with the exhibits, they have STEM activities such as building a rocket, or paper plane that you can launch. You could build a plane out of cardboard etc. The staff were super nice and did a great job guiding the children through the activities. My son said this was his favorite and the highlight of our visit. This museum is a must try/visit for anyone of any age. Give it a go! read more

See all

The Sullenberger Aviation Museum was well done. I enjoyed the old museum but this one they took to the next level with the hands on interactive displays; the educational storyboards; all the planes and the Miracle of the Hudson Exhibits. There is a good sized parking lot when you arrive. The staff was very friendly and helpful here. I even qualified for the Educator discount. Storage lockers are available for those that need it. The museum is in sections, an outside section, two hanger exhibit buildings and the ticket and gift shop building. I decided to check out the outside planes and exhibits before it got too hot for me. There is a spot you can watch planes land and take off from the Charlotte Airport. The aircraft on exhibit are from Military, Commercial and Civilian use. There are aircraft everywhere you look. The museum covers how the Charlotte International Airport as grown over the years and future plans to expand. You will also learn about all those involved in aviation. The US Airways Plane from Flight 1549 is a big feature of the museum. The plane was part of the old museum but that exhibit has really expanded with a video, artifacts, mementos and very detailed boards about how the plane was made, the safety features, personal accounts of what happened, and the investigation. Restrooms are located in the ticket building and the main exhibit building. They may have been in the historic hanger building but I wasn't looking for them and just stumbled into them in the main building as I was leaving and found the STEM room. This was a great place for kids to try out things. I got to see the scarf move through so that was neat to see. I highly recommend a visit to this museum. read more

See all

Great museum with lots to see. My favorite part was Sully's plane. The staff are friendly and helpful. Shoutout to Linda at the podium. read more

Sullenberger Aviation Museum - Museums Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

We purchased a model airplane on 1/2 from the gift shop and returned the very next day, 1/3, with the receipt and the item in new condition. When we attempted to return it, an elderly female employee told us that model airplanes are non-returnable. This was frustrating because neither the receipt nor the museum's website states that model airplanes are excluded from returns. In fact, the receipt clearly says "Retail returns within 30 days with receipt," with the only exception being admission tickets. What made the experience worse was the employee's rude and dismissive attitude. Instead of explaining or trying to help, she was disrespectful and abrupt, which is disappointing for a museum that welcomes families and visitors. If there is a special no-return policy on model airplanes, it should be clearly posted -- on the receipt, in the store, or online -- not enforced arbitrarily at the counter. This is not a place of customer service or transparency, and it left a very sour ending to what was otherwise a nice visit. read more

Sullenberger Aviation Museum - Return policy - Museums Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

Fantastic!!! Definitely worth the visit. One of the best Aviation Museums I have been to. If you are in the Charlotte NC area make it a point to visit this place. read more

See all

You walk into a great gift shop, a very friendly and knowledgable staff, and a beautiful museum. They are currently working on a new exhibit hangar also, make sure to check out the outside exhibits also. read more

See all

I've been to quite a few aviation museums and this one was absolutely stunning. Small compared to others that you may come across but makes up for it with the amount of things to do in a limited space. You can run a flight landing simulation, get some really epic photos on models of a plane, and sit down to learn about various aircraft's. The staff is what made this place well worth the visit. Extremely friendly folks. read more

See all

Visited with my daughter & grandson. It was amazing! So many great airplanes & the tribute to and plane from The Miracle on the Hudson was awesome! Great volunteers who are experienced aviators themselves. Flight simulator was so much fun! Highly recommend!!! read more

Fantastic museum if you like aircraft and history. The miracle on the Hudson plane is a bonus read more

Sullenberger Aviation Museum - Museums Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

See all

The Sullenberger Aviation Museum is an immersive, educational, and incredible experience. Pricing is reasonable, plenty of parking, & best of all: aircraft! The displays are gorgeous! Several interactive features: including aircraft identification, videos, and flight simulators. The tribute to the "Miracle on the Hudson" is admirable and impressive. With a theater display, and the aircraft and surviving articles on display. There are also helicopters and uniforms on show. I would highly recommend if one has any interest in aviation. The staff is courteous and friendly and there is also a cute shop! read more

Had a lovely late morning here with the family. We bought tickets online for the 10:30 time slot. It came out to $24/adult and kids 4 and under are free. The volunteers were exceptionally friendly and helpful. The museum itself has a variety of jets, planes, helicopters. The miracle on the Hudson plane is there too! The planes are all roped off but you can still get pretty close to them, there are interactive things for kids to do such as a flight simulator. Clean bathrooms throughout. There are a few tables outside.. so bring some food and enjoy the planes taking off and landing! read more

See all

The aviation museum was perfect. Had no complaints with it. I enjoyed my walk around the museum. Museum was very informative, and there were helpful staff that explained all of the different exhibits. Seeing the large Boeing flight that crashed into the Hudson in real life along with an informative movie was very interesting. read more

See all

This is a very nice museum of aviation! There are a lot of planes on display. It showcases captain Sullenberger and has audio recordings taken from passengers giving their account of The Miracle on the Hudson during that flight. There is so much to see. It's remarkable. Come see for yourself! Yelp won't allow me to upload all my video and pictures. read more

See all

Their hours are wrong. All of their posted hours show they open at 10am. We get to the front door after driving from Raleigh and were told they don't open till 10:30am. Why not post your updated hours if you are gonna have a bunch of people take over your museum for 30 mins. That could have been easily posted on your website. read more

Sullenberger Aviation Museum - Museums Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

See all

We loved visiting this museum - the Miracle on the Hudson story was told in such a compelling way. I can't wait to visit again when the historical hanger opens in early 2025. Huge shout out to the wonderful docents sharing more information about the various artifacts read more

Sullenberger Aviation Museum - Museums Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

Beautiful brand new museum! Definitely worth the visit if you've got some time to kill before the airport. read more

See all