Come see a unique collection of airplanes celebrating the Golden Age of General Aviation
1340 E Gilbert St
Hendersonville, NC, United States
North Carolina
April – October
Wednesdays: 10:00am-5:00pm
Saturdays: 10:00am-5:00pm
Sundays: 12:00pm-5:00pm
November – March
Wednesdays: 12:00pm-5:00pm
Saturdays: 12:00pm-5:00pm
Sundays: 12:00pm-5:00pm
Do you remember the roar of a big radial aircraft engine thundering into life? Or maybe you only have heard about it from Grand Dad’s reminiscences. Well it is still alive, and you can come hear it again here at the Western North Carolina Air Museum.
Come see what is was like: When airports had grass strips and didn’t have fences. When you could wash the airplanes for a ride, and when you could walk right up to the flight line and see, touch, & smell the excitement, up close & personal… come back in time to the Western North Carolina Air Museum.
If you remember when flying was an event instead of a burden, when climbing into an airplane was more exciting than riding a bus, and when every head turned at the sound of a motor buzzing overhead, then rediscover that excitement at the Western North Carolina Air Museum. Here the excitement lives on. It echoes in the fabric wings of the airplanes that brought it to life. It floats in the scent of avgas on a plane just returning from a flight. It lives in the people who show you around and answer questions – most are veterans of that golden age when not everyone knew how to fly, but every kid sure wanted to learn.
Set beside an active airport – we are more than just a place to look at planes. We’re a place to relive a moment in time that is rapidly passing away. You won’t find airplanes under glass. You won’t find velvet ropes to keep you away. You won’t find guards and ticket sellers and concessionaires.You’ll only find airplanes and people who love them. Many are pilots: Some even own and fly some of the airplanes that are on display. If you’re lucky enough to visit on a day when someone is going up, you might just be able to see a flying piece of aviation history.
We’re home to a unique collection of airplanes celebrating the Golden Age of Aviation, the decades surrounding the Second World War, when flying commanded the world’s attention and an airplane was in everybody’s future.
A place for flying folks to share memories of a disappearing era. And a place to show the young ones a proper airplane, with taut fabric over wooden spars, a single propeller at the nose, and a little wheel under the tail. We are also a place where you can see the actual restoration of such aircraft, as it is happening and talk to the people doing the work. People who will take the time to answer you questions and explain the work they are doing .
The Western North Carolina Air Museum is a center of living history in the popular Hendersonville – Flat Rock region of the state. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to remember flying the way it used to be. Bring your kids, your camera, and your leather jacket. You can view the airplanes in an hour or so, or spend the afternoon hanger-flying with our friendly, informative staff. We can’t guarantee fine weather, but our hangar doors are open rain and shine. And we can’t guarantee that we’ll be flying on the day you visit, but we do promise to propel your imagination back to the golden age of general aviation. Come for the airplanes. Stay for the memories. There’s plenty of both right here at the Western North Carolina Air Museum.