Latest news with #SullenbergerAviationMuseum
Yahoo
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
CLT attraction unveils final piece
Sullenberger Aviation Museum adds a new wing this weekend with the opening of 'Aviation City,' the final piece in the 105,000-square-foot educational and historical campus opened last year. ALSO READ: Sullenberger Aviation Museum takes shape at CLT as fundraising hits target On Wednesday morning, museum and airport executives opened the 11,000-square-foot, $1.5 million addition to media for a sneak preview. The addition is housed in what's known as the 1936 Historic Hangar, built as a Works Progress Administration project and refurbished to house a history of Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) chronicling a century of aviation. The hangar was designated as a Historic Landmark in 2002. In June 2024, the main gallery and other museum features opened, concentrating on aviation innovation and its impact on society and the region. Stephen Saucier, the museum's CEO, told CBJ that the opening of Aviation City completes the campus, though there will always be updates and tweaks. Read more and check out photos on CBJ's website here. VIDEO: Passenger from Miracle on the Hudson shares story from famous flight
Axios
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Axios
Charlotte aviation museum named for famed Captain Sully opens new gallery
Sullenberger Aviation Museum's new gallery opens inside a 1930s hangar on Saturday, May 31. Why it matters: This latest section of the museum to open will showcase a range of commercial and military planes. Catch up quick: Sullenberger Aviation Museum reopened last June with a new name and a new home. The museum's name honors Captain C.B. "Sully" Sullenberger, the pilot who safely landed the Charlotte-bound U.S. Airways Flight 1549 in the Hudson River. You may know the 2009 flight as "Miracle on the Hudson." The aircraft from Flight 1549 can be seen in the museum's adjacent main gallery. The latest: The Navy/Marine Corps Gallery is housed inside the W.P.A. Douglas hangar, which was the original home of the museum. Now the hangar will tell Charlotte Douglas International Airport's story and its influence on the city, museum president Stephen Saucier says. What to expect: The hangar was built in 1936 as part of the Works Progress Administration, making it an artifact in and of itself, Saucier says. The gallery includes seven aircraft, with everything from commercial aircraft like a Piedmont Airlines DC-3 to military aircraft like the F-84 Thunderjet. One plane has been converted into a two-person flight simulator. By the numbers: $34 million was raised to build the current iteration of the museum, including $5 million from Charlotte Douglas International Airport's Cannon Fund. The airport renovated the hangar shell, Saucier says. It cost roughly $1.5 million for the museum to bring the gallery to life, per Saucier. If you go: Saturday's grand opening starts at 9am for museum members and 10am for nonmembers. There will be food trucks. Sullenberger Aviation Museum is at 4108 Minuteman Way near CLT. Tickets are $24 for those over age 18, $20 for seniors (65+), $18 for ages 5-17, free for children younger than 5 years old, $20 for military members (active or veterans), $20 for aviation professionals and $20 for educators. What's next: The museum will launch summer camps for 4th-8th grade students this year with a focus on STEM education and aviation. Take a look around the "Aviation City" exhibit.
Yahoo
12-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Captain Sully discusses impact of retiring Charlotte museum visionary
CHARLOTTE (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — There was a time when many museums were considered stuffy and stale, dusty and drab. But no more. If you've been to the Sullenberger Aviation Museum, you know times have changed. Located on the campus of Charlotte Douglas International Airport, this modern-day Smithsonian affiliate has welcomed more than 60 thousand visitors since opening last summer. 'Passion in the job puts perfection in the work.' That quote by Aristotle is alive and well at the Sullenberger Aviation Museum. Case in point: Stephen Saucier. You won't recognize the name or face because museum president Stephen Saucier works in the background, rolling up his sleeves, behind the scenes. But you may recognize Captain C.B. 'Sully ' Sullenberger- best known for his actions as Captain of US Airways Flight 1549 — the iconic 'Miracle on the Hudson.' His aircraft has found a new home here- in the museum that bears his name, in the capable hands of Saucier. The plane is the crown jewel of notable aviation exhibits in the modern-day museum that aims to inspire, educate, and elevate the next generation of aviators and innovators. 'Stephen is wonderful. His passion is on par with ours. We're overjoyed. This exceeded our expectations,' praises Sullenberger about the Miracle on the Hudson exhibit Saucier helped create. He says he can't imagine anyone else other than Saucier being the shepherd of this important story both he and his wife Lorrie feel so dearly about. Saucier, who worked closely with a dedicated team to make this happen says, 'I was honored and very respectful to make use of his name and tell his story and attract those audiences that can come and be part of this next generation.' Captain Sully became the hero pilot behind the most successful ditching in modern aviation history — after a flock of geese hit his plane on departure from New York's LaGuardia Airport — knocking out both engines — leaving the powerless jet with just enough altitude and airspeed to glide to a safe landing in the icy Hudson River. Remarkably, thanks to Sullenberger and his highly skilled flight crew, everyone on board survived. And thanks to the vision of Saucier and many others, the restored plane is not only surviving, but thriving on display in its final destination: a 35,000-square-foot state-of-the-art gallery, part of a 105,000-square-foot museum adjacent to Charlotte Douglas International Airport. 'What we like so much about Stephen, he treats it with the same care, the story, that we do… because of the lives involved, the fact that we were all able to survive… it would have been so tragic had anyone not. And Stephen gets that, he feels the same way we do,' Sullenberger continues. For years the Airbus was displayed in a temporary exhibit in a borrowed hangar, without its own building, until being displaced in storage. In an attempt to rehome it, Saucier would lead a museum without walls- spearheading a $34 million capital campaign that would eventually manifest into this magnificent modern museum. 'I had many conversations with Captain Sullenberger and wife Lorrie about working together. We became good friends discussing how we could preserve the history of The Miracle on the Hudson — one of our country's most iconic aviation events, representing the indomitable human spirit,' Saucier says. It's been said every job is a self-portrait of the person who did it. After eight years of autographing his work with excellence, Saucier is finally stepping down as president of the museum. 'I've been part of an incredible journey, an incredible group of people, a collective effort, and I just thought it was time for the next generation to take the museum to the next level,' he said. While a new leader will soon take over, Saucier's passion will live on. 'I've literally wanted to fly since I was 5 years old, and I was fortunate to be able to do that. Stephen has that same passion, that same drive, the need to inspire, and that's what this is all about,' Sullenberger says. Visit to see the Miracle on the Hudson exhibit up close and personal. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
