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You’d expect a state that welcomed the two brothers credited by The Smithsonian for “inventing the aerial age” to have some great aviation museums. North Carolina certainly does.
Whether you’re visiting our coast, mountains or somewhere in between, you can visit museums that spotlight aviation history plus many other military, civilian and commercial planes, helicopters and flight memorabilia.
1 Sullenberger Aviation Museum
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1 Sullenberger Aviation Museum
CharlotteSee on map
Airheads are welcome at the recently reimagined Sullenberger Aviation Museum, home to interactive exhibits, aircraft and artifacts from the advent of aviation, and the award-winning “Miracle on the Hudson” exhibition featuring the famed jet that landed safely in the Hudson River in 2009. Be sure to take a seat and watch the video that details Captain Sully Sullenberger and his crew’s heroic actions that saved 155 on board Flight 1549 that day.
2 Dare County Regional Airport Museum
2 Dare County Regional Airport Museum
ManteoSee on mapThe main attractions here are models of aircraft that played a part in the history of Outer Banks aviation and a pictorial history of John David Driskill. A local self-taught aviation pioneer, Driskill was known as one of the best test pilots in the country. You’ll also enjoy learning about Civil Air Patrol Base 16, one of 21 coastal bases that conducted air searches for German submarines during World War II.
3 Wright Brothers National Memorial
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3 Wright Brothers National Memorial
Kitty HawkSee on mapThis national memorial, atop 90-foot Big Kill Devil Hill, commemorates 12 seconds that changed the world. You’ll find a granite boulder that marks the spot where Orville and Wilbur Wrights’ plane left the ground to make history with the first controlled, powered airplane flight. Numbered markers indicate the distance of each of the four flights the brothers made Dec. 17, 1903. Several buildings recreate the 1903 camp, and a 3,000-foot runway allows small planes to touch down on the site that started it all.
4 North Carolina Aviation Museum and Hall of Fame
4 North Carolina Aviation Museum and Hall of Fame
AsheboroSee on mapLocated next to Asheboro Municipal Airport, this hall of fame is dedicated to preserving the history and honoring the heritage of “the wonderfully wide, wide world of flight and beyond.” Here, you’ll find aircraft ranging from the J-2 Piper that Orville Wright flew near the end of his career to a B-25, BT-13, a C-45 and a French Broussard. Check out the war memorabilia, such as the 1941 Plymouth staff car, 1936 Ford coach, and World War I German machine gun.
5 Airborne & Special Operations Museum
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5 Airborne & Special Operations Museum
FayettevilleSee on mapThis museum moves you through time from the inception of airborne tactics in 1940 to today. The soaring lobby of the facility graphically illustrates a timeline of airborne operations. It also features two fully deployed parachutes, a round one from World War II and today’s square design, suspended high above you. The museum’s theater screens special Vistascope films with edge-of-your-seat action. There's also a pitch, roll and yaw motion simulator that brings the airborne experience to life.
6 Western North Carolina Air Museum
6 Western North Carolina Air Museum
HendersonvilleSee on mapThis museum celebrates the Golden Age of General Aviation, the decades surrounding the World War II, when flying commanded the world’s attention and an airplane was in everybody’s future. You can fly back in time as you browse a collection that includes a 1930 Aeronca C-3, 1930 Curtiss Robin, 1931 Piper E-2, 1936 Piper J-2, 1941 Piper J-5, 1945 Stearman N4S, 1946 Piper J-3C-85, 1947 Aeronca 7DC, 1947 Cessna 120, 1947 Piper PA12, and Wittman W-8 Tailwind.
