Hickory Aviation Museum

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Hickory Aviation Museum The Hickory Aviation Museum is located at the Hickory Regional Airport in Hickory, NC.
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Hickory Aviation Museum---Free Admission
Mailing Address: 3101 9th Avenue NW Box 22A, Hickory NC 28601

Tuesday, 2:45pm Update:The TAV-8B was loaded up on two trucks but only the truck with the fuselage has departed. It won...
10/13/2026

Tuesday, 2:45pm Update:

The TAV-8B was loaded up on two trucks but only the truck with the fuselage has departed. It won't arrive in HKY until tonight sometime, no ETA. The truck with the wings was unable to depart today due to the base access for commercial vehicles closing early and waiting for the pilot car to provide a safe passage across from Cherry Point to Hickory for this oversized load. We hope that it will leave as early in the morning as possible and be in Hickory at the museum mid-afternoon sometime. Then, the fun begins as reassembly starts. Updates as I get them from our team.

Happy Birthday #251 to the US Navy! 13 October 1775, a resolution of the Continental Congress established what is now ...
10/13/2026

Happy Birthday #251 to the US Navy! 13 October 1775, a resolution of the Continental Congress established what is now the United States Navy with a swift sailing vessel, to carry ten carriage guns, and a proportionable number of swivels, with eighty men, be fitted, with all possible dispatch, for a cruise of three months. In 1798, Congress established the Department of the Navy and in 1972, Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Elmo Zumwalt established October 13 as the officially recognized birthday date.

Today in MilAvHist, 10/12/1940, USS Wasp (CV-7) launches 24 Army Curtiss P-40 Warhawks from the 8th Pursuit Group and No...
10/12/2026

Today in MilAvHist, 10/12/1940, USS Wasp (CV-7) launches 24 Army Curtiss P-40 Warhawks from the 8th Pursuit Group and North American O-47s from the 3rd Observation Squadron off the Virginia Capes, marking the first launches of Army aircraft from U.S. carrier. The test was done to compare take off runs between Army and Navy aircraft. Wasp would later ferry Army aircraft to the European theater during WWII before reporting to the Pacific Theater.

USS Wasp was commissioned in September 1940. Two years later, while sailing with USS North Carolina and 10 other warships to Guadalcanal when she was struck by torpedoes from Japanese submarine I-19. The crew fought valiantly to save the ship but the order to abandon ship was given and the ship sunk. In 2019, the wreckage was located in nearly 14,250 feet of water. (US Navy Photos).

Today in MilAvHist, 10/11/1968, US Navy F-111B BuNo 151974 crashed at NAS Pt Mugu California, ending the F-111B program ...
10/11/2026

Today in MilAvHist, 10/11/1968, US Navy F-111B BuNo 151974 crashed at NAS Pt Mugu California, ending the F-111B program completely. The aircraft was designed to be a carrier based long range interceptor replacing the F-4 Phantom.

It first flew in 1965 and went through three years of testing and trials however it was plagued by excessive weight and being underpowered, as well as not achieving goals set forth by the USN such as dog-fighting capabilities.

As the negative results continued to pile up, Congress pulled funding for the project, but Grumman had a backup plan, Model 303, which became the F-14 Tomcat!

Of the seven F-111B aircraft built, three crashed, three were scrapped (one for parts), and one is at NAWS China Lake, CA, unrestored. (USN photos).

Happy "1010" day to all the past and present P-3 Orion Flight Engineers today on 10/10! What is 1010? It is the primar...
10/10/2026

Happy "1010" day to all the past and present P-3 Orion Flight Engineers today on 10/10! What is 1010? It is the primary Turbine Inlet Temperature of the P-3 Orion used by the "FE's" to control and protect the four T-56 engines during normal ops. Normal cruise is 900-1010C degrees maximum continuous is 1010-1077C degrees. Flights back to the USA after 6+ month deployments, well, you can use your imagination as to the reading.....

Very timely Today in MilAvHist, 10/10, as Hurricane Isaias rolled through Pensacola FL overnight and I'm experiencing th...
10/10/2026

Very timely Today in MilAvHist, 10/10, as Hurricane Isaias rolled through Pensacola FL overnight and I'm experiencing the northeastern side of the storm south of Atlanta with gusts and rain.

October 1955 was one of the worst months in Mexican history for hurricanes. Two weeks after Hurricane Hilda pounded the area, Hurricane Janet hit the eastern side of the country and was the most powerful storm of that year to make landfall. From October 1-9, the United States mounted the largest humanitarian effort to date, spearheaded by USS Saipan (CVL-48).

USS Saipan was based in Pensacola FL as the training carrier for all of the aviators going thru the training pipeline. They sortied loaded up with helicopters from HTU-1: Piasecki HUP Retrievers, Bell H-13 Sioux, and the Sikorsky H035-1 Horse. (Note that HTU-1 is now HT-8 and is the oldest active helicopter squadron in the US Navy, 1950-present. They're based at NAS Whiting Field, FL training future "rotorheads" to fly helicopters).

Upon arrival off the Mexican coast, helicopters flying around the clock from the ship rescued 5,439 people and delivered 183,017 pounds of food and medical supplies. SAIPAN departed the area today, 10/10/1955 and returned to Pensacola, a job well done. (Photos of examples of the helo types and USN photo of SAIPAN).

Today in MilAvHist, 10/9/1967, the second (of five) Ling-Temco-Vought XC-142As, 62-5922, suffers major landing gear and ...
10/09/2026

Today in MilAvHist, 10/9/1967, the second (of five) Ling-Temco-Vought XC-142As, 62-5922, suffers major landing gear and fuselage damage during STOL landing at Edwards AFB, California, following a 28-minute functional check flight after incorporation of modified control system components. Crew uninjured. This was the 488th test flight of the XC-142 program, and it turns out to be the last one before the program is cancelled. The airframe was not repaired.

The XC-142A was tested extensively by the USN, USAF, USA and NASA. In testing, it flew backwards at 35mph and forward at 400mph. Although not successful, this aircraft foreshadowed future VSTOL aircraft like the V-22 Osprey.

There is only one survivor, on display with NASA markings at the National Museum of the United States Air Force.

We have been waiting patiently and now we can officially announce that TAV-8B Harrier BuNo 164122 will be on the way to ...
10/08/2026

We have been waiting patiently and now we can officially announce that TAV-8B Harrier BuNo 164122 will be on the way to Hickory Aviation Museum, Hickory NC next week!

Timeline:
10/13: Aircraft loaded on tractor/trailers for transport at MCAS Cherry Point and departure time/route to Hickory is TBD. I'd guess the route might be I-42 to I-40 to Hwy 321.

10/13: Aircraft will arrive sometime in the afternoon at Hickory Aviation Museum, time TBD. Everyone is welcome to come out and see the jet, however the gates to the parking lot will close at 5pm sharp.

!0/14-TBD: Aircraft will be reassembled and prepared for display. Visitors will not be permitted access to the work area for safety reasons during this time but the Museum is open as usual.

10/19: Aircraft will be moved and placed on display inside the building, probably next to our Harrier II+.

10/20: Museum opens at 10am and visitors will be able to see our newest addition!

There are a lot of moving parts to any aircraft move, and we'll do our best to update what is happening. Thanks to BDS Aviation Photography for supplying photos of the jet.

This will be the official thread and any/all updates and photos will be provided here.

Today in MilAvHist, 10/8/1972, the F-14A entered service with the US Navy's Fleet Replacement Squadron VF-124 as they re...
10/08/2026

Today in MilAvHist, 10/8/1972, the F-14A entered service with the US Navy's Fleet Replacement Squadron VF-124 as they received their first Tomcat at NAS Miramar, California. A Fleet Replacement Squadron is where Pilots/Naval Flight Officers and Aircrew train in the aircraft that they will fly operationally in the Fleet, as well as maintenance personnel who learn how to work on the aircraft.

VF-124 was active from 1948 to 1994 training first pilots in F4U Corsairs, F9F Panthers, F-8 Crusaders and then pilots and radar intercept officers for the F-14 Tomcat. During the drawdown of the US Navy in the 1990s, F-14 training was moved to NAS Oceana, Virginia with VF-101. (US Navy photo)

HAM would like to thank The Visit Hickory NC crew and our fellow tourism partners in the area for holding the latest qua...
10/07/2026

HAM would like to thank The Visit Hickory NC crew and our fellow tourism partners in the area for holding the latest quarterly meeting at the museum yesterday! If you're planning on a trip to Hickory to see us, then you'll be wanting to visit many of the hotels, restaurants, museums, and attractions in the area as well and these are the people that will make your visit as enjoyable as possible. And, if you're business welcomes tourism, and has not joined the Visit Hickory group, you're missing out on a great networking opportunity.

Please visit the Visit Hickory website for more information! https://www.visithickorync.com/

Address

821 21st Street NW
Hickory, NC
28601

Opening Hours

Tuesday 10am - 4pm
Wednesday 10am - 4pm
Thursday 10am - 4pm
Friday 10am - 4pm
Saturday 10am - 5pm
Sunday 1pm - 5pm

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