Sullenberger Aviation Museum

This place is a must-visit for anyone even remotely interested in aviation, history, or just incredible stories of human resilience and engineering. The Sullenberger Aviation Museum was an absolute highlight of our trip. Walking through and seeing all the old planes — both commercial and military — was amazing, but the centerpiece is obviously the actual plane that Captain “Sully” Sullenberger landed in the Hudson River. Standing in front of it, reading the stories, and hearing the firsthand accounts from passengers on that flight… it gave the whole visit an emotional weight that really sticks with you. What really stood out beyond the exhibits were the guides and staff — every single one of them was friendly, engaging, and seriously knowledgeable. You could tell they love what they do, and it makes the experience that much more immersive. Now, my stepfather is a huge history buff, especially when it comes to anything military-related, and let’s just say… it took some convincing to get him to leave. Between the military aircraft, the historical timelines, and the detail in the exhibits, this place was everything he could’ve hoped for — and I had a blast too. Whether you're an aviation nerd, a fan of heroic stories, or just looking for something memorable and meaningful to experience in Charlotte, this place delivers.

Wr had a wonderful visit at the Sullenberger Aviation Museum! The staff was very kind! We spent there a good 2 hrs with my boys. We loved the building place and how creative you can get there. We loved the simulator and if you land your plane you will get a 10% discount in the gift shop. Overall, we had a nice time!

Very interesting and educational museum. Miracles on the Hudson story very extensive. The plane from the crash is on site with videos of the event that day. Other aircraft viewable both inside and outside aviation buildings. Plenty of simulation opportunities and a nice gift shop. Ample parking in the lot and close to Charlotte airport.

Took my airplane loving 3 year old son here today and he LOVED IT!!! The outside area was perfect, it had bleachers were we could sit and watch the airplane at the airport take off and land. There's so much to do and learn. The place was clean, spacious and organized. All the staff were very friendly, helpful and informative. I would definitely recommend.

Very interesting museum featuring Sully's plane that went into the Hudson River. The short video about the water landing was very interesting. Saw some of the real passengers sharing their experiences. The rest of the museum had several different kinds of planes and helicopters. Passenger and military. We went on a Wednesday afternoon and there were several people there enjoying the museum.

The google reviews do not do this place justice . It is absolutely stunning inside and out . So much to do and look at . You are allowed to sit inside some jet cockpits and also a commercial Boeing full cockpit which was awesome. There are planes too to bottom and the vibe inside is sick like an arcade or movie theater . My kids 13 and 6 loved it especially the plane game simulators and so did I . It never felt crowded at any point . The price is definitely work it and I would come back again

Great way to spend a few hours if you’re interested in aviation and history. Good variety of planes and helicopters on display. Good information about the history of aviation in the Charlotte area over the last century. The displays are informative and well done. There are a few hands on exhibits including a flight simulator. Lots of volunteers are there to answer questions and use the technology. The video on the crash is well done and takes only about 15 minutes. They say allow an hour and a half but if you have a lot of interest in the subject I would double that. There is an onsite gift shop and a lunch counter.

This is a small aviation museum that's near the Charlotte airport. There is no shuttle from the airport to the museum, you must arrange your own transportation. There is a free parking lot. The museum is divided into two buildings with some aircraft outside. The total display is modest in size. The main hangar features what would be the main attraction, their US Airways flight that crashed into the Hudson after a bird strike. For aviation enthusiasts, I'd argue a better attraction is the D-558-1 (of which, two survive). Unfortunately, the D-558-1 is elevated above the floor on a wall making the top of the aircraft difficult/impossible to see. There is no catwalk or elevated position to see the upper half of this historic aircraft unfortunately. They have other aircraft suspended from the ceiling, again, not allowing you to see the canopy, cockpit, or top of the aircraft. This is disappointing. There is no food available onsite.

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!

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.

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!

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

See and touch real life history, that for some of us a major wow factor especially if you watched live on tv. Talking about the miracle on the Hudson piloted by capt sully. The whole aircraft that passengers walked out on the wing. Not taking away from the many historic aircraft, but thats a major wow

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.

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.

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.

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!

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!

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.

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.

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.

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

Way way way overpriced!!! This place should be $10 max!! I am thinking they want to make their money fast because unless this place is being funded by the government it will be gone!!

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