Charlotte museum to be renamed to honor ‘Miracle on the Hudson’ hero Captain ‘Sully’
A day before the 13th anniversary of the “Miracle on the Hudson” flight, the Carolinas Aviation Museum in Charlotte said Friday it will rename itself to honor the hero captain.
Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger and his US Airways Flight 1549 crew landed the plane on the Hudson River, saving all aboard the New York-to-Charlotte flight.
Friday’s announcement also acknowledged a $1 million personal gift from “Miracle on the Hudson” survivor Ric Elias, billionaire CEO of Fort Mill, S.C.-based Internet marketing and technology company Red Ventures, and a $500,000 donation from Lonely Planet, a Red Ventures brand.
The museum will formally announce its official new name later this year, officials said.
When the museum reopens in 2023, the Smithsonian affiliate will permanently house the “Miracle on the Hudson” exhibit, including the plane itself, which previously drew more than 74,000 visitors a year, museum officials said.
In a statement announcing the planned renaming, Elias said he is “forever indebted to Captain Sully and the crew for my second chance at life.”
For 13 years, I have been determined to find a way to honor them,” said Elias.
Other plans for the aviation museum
The museum has now raised about $11 million toward its $25 million to revamp its building and offerings, according to the museum.
Highlights will include a new main gallery, visitor center, plaza, a restored historic hangar and dozens of aircraft and interactive cockpits, flight simulators. STEM/aviation and aerospace programming will be included or students
The museum will open at Charlotte Douglas International Airport’s historic WPA/Douglas Airport Hangar.
This story was originally published January 14, 2022 at 11:13 AM.