Hickory Aviation Museum to Begin Fundraising Campaign For New Building

September 30, 2022 Vintage Aviation News Aviation Museum News 0
This rendering by architecture firm McMillan Pazdan Smith shows the concept for the new building that will house the Hickory Aviation Museum and Catawba Valley Community College Workforce Innovation Center. Photo via Hickory Record
Aircorps Art Dec 2019


As reported by the Hickory Daily Record, on Wednesday, September 28th, the Hickory Aviation Museum will kick off its fundraising campaign for a building to house the museum’s aircraft at an event Wednesday at the Drendel Auditorium. On June 21st the Hickory City Council approved a $1.2 million contract with the architecture firm McMillian Pazdan Smith for the design of the building. Deputy City Manager Rodney Miller told the council the total cost for the new building will be $22 million. Catawba Valley Community College will have a new workforce facility at the Hickory Regional Airport in a building that also will serve as the new home for the Hickory Aviation Museum.

The Hickory Aviation Museum needs to raise $7 million for the new facility, which will house the aircraft which are currently kept outside. They still need to raise roughly $2.6 million to reach that total, according to a release from the city of Hickory.

Frank Weisser, a retired U.S. Navy commander and Blue Angels pilot who was featured in “Top Gun: Maverick,” was among the speakers at Wednesday’s kickoff. Click HERE for the VIDEO

The public fundraising campaign will officially open with the event on Wednesday and run through the end of the year, Hickory Communications Specialist Sarah Killian said. The Hickory Aviation Museum is located at the Hickory Regional Airport (HKY) in Hickory North Carolina and is a 501(c)(3) Non-Profit organization. The interior of the Hickory Aviation has artifacts and memorabilia ranging from WWII to the present day. Including an exhibit about famed North Carolinians Bill and George Preddy, provided by the Preddy Foundation. Models are on display which depict how aircraft designs changed over time from the Wright Flyer of 1903 to the present-day F/A-18 Hornet. The Naval Aviation Annex is located in the old baggage claim area. Various artifacts are on display including an F-14 Camera Pod, two 20mm Vulcan cannons, one carried in an F-14, the other in a F/A-18 Hornet. USN and USMC uniforms are on display along with models of a WWII-era aircraft carrier and a modern Nimitz Class Carrier.

ELEVATE: Hickory Aviation Museum Fundraising Campaign – Click Here for the Fundraising Webpage!

 

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