Sullenberger Aviation Museum

08/27/2026

08/25/2026

SpaceX Sighting over SAM! 💫

08/25/2026

How many Top Gun fanatics can say they watched their favorite movie just feet away from a real F-14? Last Saturday, our guests at SAM’s Top Gun Movie Night got to do exactly that!

A huge thank you to our incredible sponsors and partners who helped make the night happen:
🎬 Heard Global for transforming our Main Gallery into a real movie theater
🍺 Pilot Brewing for keeping the squadron refreshed
🍔🍦 Big Homie Cooks and Yeller Ice Cream for keeping everyone fueled for takeoff

Thank you to everyone who attended. It was a night full of fun, aviation, and just the right amount of need for speed. 😎✈️ We had a blast and can’t wait for our next mission!

Missed this one? Don’t worry, SAM has plenty more events on the horizon, so make sure you’re following us for the latest updates!

08/22/2026

08/18/2026

This Saturday, August 22, join us for Top Gun Movie Night at the Museum! All F-14 Tomcat fans will enjoy the rare chance to watch Top Gun while sitting only a few feet away from an F-14.

Click this link to purchase your tickets: https://www.sullenbergeraviation.org/top-gun/

At Movie Night you can enjoy:
🕶️ Aviation-inspired activities
📸 A fun photo experience to capture the memories
🍔 Food trucks and local craft beer available for purchase
🎵 Music and a relaxed summer atmosphere
🎬 A big-screen showing of Top Gun (1985) inside Sullenberger Aviation Museum

08/13/2026

✈️🗣️Calling all Top Gun fans 🗣️✈️

In preparation for our 40th anniversary showing of the iconic Top Gun movie on August 22nd, SAM’s Collections Team has gathered authentic, never-before-seen artifacts from a REAL Top Gun graduate. US Marine Corps pilot Lt Col Mike Rainey was a long-time Beaufort, SC, resident who graduated from Top Gun in October 1978. Rainey served 20 years in the Marines, flying both F-4s Phantoms and F/A-18s Hornets.

Are you an aviation enthusiast, movie buff, or Charlotte local looking for something to do? Then bring your family and friends for a night jam packed with PLANE fun! You can enjoy:

🕶️ Aviation-inspired activities
📸 A fun photo experience to capture the memories
🍔 Food trucks and local craft beer available for purchase
🎵 Music and a relaxed summer atmosphere
🎬 A big-screen showing of Top Gun inside Sullenberger Aviation Museum

🎟️ Tickets are on sale now at SullenbergerAviation.org! Reserve your seats today before they sell out.

📩Want to sponsor the event? Contact [email protected] to showcase your business while supporting aviation education and inspiring future generations.

Aviation

08/11/2026

A few weeks ago we got the exciting opportunity to meet award-winning journalist Harriet Baskas and show her around the museum! You can now read her glowing review by following the link bellow.

This is what it's like to tour the "Miracle on the Hudson" plane, which is on display near Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT).

08/01/2026

When the past and present reunite ✈️

When Bob Deaton visited SAM in November 2025, he never expected to find his cousin, Haskell Deaton, featured in our Aviation City exhibit!

A pilot, airport owner, airshow performer, and organizer, Haskell was a driving force in Charlotte aviation during the 1940s. In 1947, he helped organize the South’s first all-Black airshow at his own Plaza Airport—an achievement that helped shape aviation history in our region.

Inspired by the discovery, Bob connected with our Collections Team through SAM volunteers. The result? The Deaton family generously donated several historic photographs that capture the golden age of Charlotte’s private aviation industry.

Want to learn more about Charlotte’s pioneering barnstormers and aerialists? Visit our Aviation City exhibit, now included with regular museum admission.

Interested in donating artifacts or photographs to the Museum’s collection? Contact Rachel at [email protected].

1. Bob Deaton and his grandsons, David and Banks, in front of a display featuring Haskell Deaton.

2. Bob and his grandchildren Wade, Madeline, and Luke during their visit to SAM in December 2025.

3. Plaza Airport, pictured here in 1944, was a successful regional airport from 1941 to 1951.

4. Haskell Deaton in his Civil Air Patrol uniform in 1943. Haskell was integral to the formation of Charlotte’s Civil Air Patrol during WWII.

Image Credits: Bob Deaton | Sullenberger Aviation Museum Collection