After a ribbon-cutting ceremony Wednesday to celebrate Charlotte’s new, $34 million state-of-the art aviation museum, officials are looking forward to re-opening the doors to the public on Saturday.

One of the guests in attendance was former U.S. Airways airline pilot Capt. C.B. “Sully” Sullenberger. The former Carolinas Aviation Museum was renamed in his honor for safely piloting the “Miracle on the Hudson” plane that was bound for Charlotte in 2009. It’s now known as the Sullenberger Aviation Museum.

The museum with 105,000 square feet of space near Charlotte Douglas International Airport is being supported through the Infusion Fund, a partnership between the city of Charlotte, the Foundation For The Carolinas and other donors.

The museum is affiliated with the Smithsonian, the world’s largest museum and research complex.

The aviation museum opened in 1992 by aviation enthusiasts who wanted to restore and display historic aircraft.

It closed 10 years later after the property — a 40,000-square-foot hanger at the end of one of the airport’s runways — was re-purposed for private aviation needs to meet FAA requirements, The Charlotte Observer reported. Manufacturing tech giant Honeywell came to town and occupied the space.

Museum leaders had to find a new space in July 2019. Museum President Stephen Saucier led efforts to create a campaign to build a new facility. Construction for the upgrades began in 2022.

More than 120,000 visitors are expected each year after the museum reopens on Saturday, according to the museum.

The ‘Miracle on the Hudson’

On Jan. 15, 2009, Sullenberger and his crew, landed Flight 1549 safely in New York’s Hudson River after a flock of geese struck both engines. The passengers and crew all survived the landing.

The plane had taken off from taking off from LaGuardia Airport. and was headed for Charlotte.

In January 2022, officials announced that the Charlotte museum would be renamed for Sullenberger.

The US Airways plane Sullenberger flew is one of many exhibits at the museum. It has been part of the museum’s collection since 2011.

What else is inside?

The museum is a multi-building campus with the Dowd Foundation Welcome Center, the main gallery, an education wing and the historic hanger.

Sections at the museum will have attractions like flight simulators, wind tunnels, photo booths, and games for guests of all ages. More than 45 aircraft will be on display.

STEM and other education-related careers will be a major aspect of the museum. “Aviation is an exploding industry,” Saucier said. “You see the airport’s growth. It’s growing and busting at the seams. There are so many opportunities for career at the airport.”

Here are some of the exhibits:

▪ Replicas of the Wright Brothers’ Flyer and Glider planes

▪ Vietnam-era F-4S Phantom II, one of only two manufactured Skystreak planes used to test breaking the sound barrier

▪ P-80 (TV-1 Shooting Star), one of the first jet fighters used during combat

▪ F-14 that is rumored to have made an appearance on the tarmac in “Top Gun,”

▪ Aviation City, an exhibition featuring local and global contributors to the aviation industry, will open later this fall at the WPA/Douglas hangar. It will have an F-84 Thunderjet, a Stearman biplane, and a Lockheed T-33 and more.

How much did the museum upgrades cost?

The project was made possible through the largest capital campaign in the museum’s history.

Museum leaders raised $34 million to build the facility with funds coming from the state, Mecklenburg County, the city of Charlotte, individuals and companies.

“This project doesn’t come together by any single person or entity,” Saucier said. “This community, Charlotte is incredibly generous if you got a good plan that can address an acute need.”

Charlotte Douglas International Airport’s Cannon Fund donated $5 million for future facilities.

Honeywell added another $1.5 million to help. A Honeywell-produced auxiliary power unit played a critical role in enabling the Airbus A320 aircraft to touch down safely in the Hudson River, The Charlotte Observer previously reported.

Bank of America contributed $1 million to name and sponsor the Miracle on the Hudson exhibit. The bank had close to two dozen employees on Flight 1549.

Ric Elias, a survivor of the 2009 incident and CEO of Red Ventures in Fort Mill, South Carolina, was one of the donors. He gave $1 million for the museum’s capital campaign, in addition with $500,000 from Red Ventures’ Lonely Planet, a travel media company.

How to visit

Tickets for Saturday are sold out for the grand re-opening. But visitors will have other chances to see the museum at 4108 Aviation Way, Charlotte.

The museum will be open 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and noon to 4:30 p.m. on Sundays. For more information about ticket prices and availability, visit www.sullenbergeraviation.org.