Building Programs
Hangars
The Museum faces a critical need for additional indoor climate-controlled display space. The current facilities are completely inadequate to accommodate our current collection. Although far from ideal, large aircraft can be displayed outside for a time. But the sun and weather are extremely destructive over time. Eventually aircraft stored outdoors will require restoration. Restoration in costly and time consuming. The best solution is indoor storage. Unfortunately, given their size, aircraft require large buildings.
Currently the Museum occupies the original Charlotte Airport hangar constructed by the WPA in the mid-1930s. This hangar has been the center of the Museum since it's inception in 1996.
New Hagar Project
In 2004 the Museum purchased a new 160' x 180' x 60' hangar. This new hangar will be erected next to our existing hangar at the Charlotte-Douglas International Airport. The new hangar, large enough for a Boeing 767, will be more than seven (7) times larger than our existing structure and enable us to house a significant part of our valuable collection. It is our goal to have the new hangar open to the public by the beginning of 2006.
Smaller Buildings for Smaller Artifacts
In addition to our new hangar project, the Museum has recently received one of the original WWII Morris Army Air Field operations buildings. This building was used during WWII for fighter pilot training After the war it was used by a variety of organizations before being rescued by the Museum in 2004.
This building will be restored and refurbished to house many of our smaller, more valuable items which require secure climate controlled display space. When completed, this building will be dedicated and named in honor or North Carolina native Tom Ferebee, the bombardier on the Enola Gay, the B-29 which dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, in August of 1945.
For further information:
Rendering / Museum Layout with New Hangar (pdf)
Shawn A Dorsch - New Hangar Project
Carolinas Aviation Museum
4108 Airport Road
Charlotte, NC 28208
e-mail at: [email protected]
Phone 704-906-8277, Fax 704-359-0057
