Carolinas Aviation Museum

Overview

The Carolinas Aviation Museum strives to collect aircraft which are relevant to aviation in the Carolinas. Typically this would include aircraft which have been flown in the Carolinas. Our collection also includes aircraft which are historically significant and relevant to the development of aviation in the Carolinas. (Photo of CAF B-29 FiFi and B-24 visiting the Museum in 2004).

Although the Museum does have a target list of aircraft to acquire, given the difficulties of obtaining aircraft, we must by necessity be opportunistic when acquiring aircraft. After getting off to a slow start about 12 years ago, we have now built up a collection of just under 50 aircraft. We have also set a goal of acquiring up to an additional 50 aircraft over the next 10 years with the objective of creating the premier aviation museum between Washington DC and southern Georgia.

Commercial Aircraft Collection

Our commercial aircraft collection focuses on aircraft that are historically significant to the aviation in the Carolinas. Among these aircraft, the flag ship of our Museum is the Piedmont Airlines DC-3. In addition, our collection includes other aircraft which provided air service to the Carolinas.

(Photo of Museum's Piedmont Airlines DC-3 at Charlotte-Douglas International Airport)

Douglas Aircraft Company 1944 DC-3 N44V

Piedmont Airlines - Flyable - Former C-47

General Aviation Aircraft Collection

Our General Aviation aircraft collection focuses on personal general aviation aircraft that have been flown in the Carolinas or are historically significant in the development of general aviation.

(Photo of Museum's 1940 Bellanca 14-9L Crusair)

Bellanca 1940 14-9L Crusair Serial # 1037 / N1KQ State Airlines - Could be Flyable
Ercoupe 1946 415-C Serial # 3805 / N3180H Owned by Allen Johnson from 1970 to 2004 - Could be Flyable
Long/Schweizer 1948 Midget Mustang Serial # 100001 Goodyear Air Racer - Could be Flyable
Wright Brothers 1902 Wright Glider Reproduction - On Display at Charlotte-Douglas Airport

Military Aircraft Collection

By far our largest collection, our Military Aircraft collection includes aircraft from all branches of the armed forces of the United States of America. Most of these aircraft have some connection to the Carolinas, and many are actual combat veterans.

A large part of our collection is post-war jet fighters from the 1950s and 1960s. More recently we have begun to add more modern fighters such as our USMC Harrier and F-4 Phantoms.

(Photo of Museum's US Navy Boeing Stearman)

Boeing 1953 KC-97 Stratotanker Serial # 53-0335

Texas Air National Guard (Cockpit Only)

McDonnell Douglas 1982 AV-8B-1 Harrier Serial # 161397

United States Marines, #3 US Built Harrier / #2 Flight test aircraft -5000+ hrs of test flight time

Boeing 1941 PT-17/ N2S Kaydet Serial # 41-8706

United States Navy

McDonnell Douglas 1985 F-4S Phantom II Serial # 155872

USMC VMFA-235 Barbers Point / MCAS Cherry Point

Cessna 1952 L-19 Bird Dog Serial 0-20777 / N777VN

United States Army - Flyable

McDonnell Douglas 1985 F-4S Phantom II Serial # 158353