Hickory Aviation Museum facts for kids
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| Established | 19 May 2007 |
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| Location | Hickory, North Carolina, United States |
| Type | Aviation museum |
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The Hickory Aviation Museum is a super cool place to visit if you love airplanes! It's an aviation museum located right at the Hickory Regional Airport in Hickory, North Carolina. This museum has lots of amazing aircraft and interesting items from aviation history. You can explore planes both inside a hangar and outside on the old airport area.
History of the Museum
The museum started with a group called the Sabre Society in 1991. This group was formed to help restore a North American FJ-3 Fury airplane. That plane was on display at a ballpark in Taylorsville, North Carolina. The museum officially opened its doors to the public on May 19, 2007. It was co-founded by Kyle and Kregg Kirby.
In 2021, the museum shared exciting news. They would receive an F4F Wildcat airplane on loan from the National Naval Aviation Museum. This is a famous type of plane from World War II.
Big plans were announced in 2022 for a brand new building at Hickory Regional Airport. This new facility will not only house the museum's aircraft but also serve as a training center. Students from Catawba Valley Community College will be able to learn there. The new building is expected to cost $22 Million. Most of the money, $15 Million, comes from the state budget. The museum is raising the other $7 Million. Construction on the new building began on October 26, 2023.
What You Can See
The Hickory Aviation Museum has an awesome collection of aircraft. You can see many different types of planes and helicopters. Some are fighter jets, and others are transport planes.
- Beechcraft T-34C Turbo Mentor
- Bell AH-1W SuperCobra
- Curtiss XF15C-1
- de Havilland Vampire
- Douglas A-4L Skyhawk
- Grumman A-6E Intruder
- Eastern FM-2 Wildcat
- Grumman F-9 Cougar
- Grumman F-14A Tomcat – You can see the cockpit of this famous jet!
- Grumman F-14D Tomcat
- Grumman OV-1D Mohawk
- Hispano HA-200 Saeta
- Howard GH-3 Nightingale
- Lockheed P-3C Orion
- Lockheed T-33A
- LTV A-7A Corsair II
- McDonnell F-101 Voodoo
- McDonnell Douglas F-4B Phantom II
- McDonnell Douglas F/A-18A Hornet
- North American FJ-3M Fury
- North American T-2 Buckeye
- Northrop F-5E Tiger II
- Northrop Grumman EA-6B Prowler
- Republic F-105B Thunderchief
- Sikorsky SH-3H Sea King
More Aviation Museums
If you like the Hickory Aviation Museum, you might also enjoy these other places:
- Carolinas Aviation Museum
- North Carolina Aviation Museum
- List of aerospace museums
