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| Picture by Kolohe |
The Hickory Aviation Museum is currently located in the Hickory Regional Airport Terminal, and on the airport tarmac between the terminal and the runway. However, a new museum building is under construction at a different location and it is anticipated to be open by the end of 2025. A docent told us that the planes now parked on the tarmac will be moved into the museum and restored.
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
There was a placard placed on a General Electric J-31 jet engine that stated this design was the first jet engine mass produced in the United States. It was developed during WW II and the first prototype was tested in 1943.
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| Picture by Kolohe |
The front section of an F-4 fighter jet cockpit and ejection seat were on display, but a sign stated that the rear panel was not included because it is still classified.
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
A Lockheed P-3 Orion on display was used by the United States Navy as a land-based maritime patrol aircraft starting in the late 1960s. At the time, this was considered to be the world's premier multi-mission maritime long-endurance aircraft used for submarine hunting, drug interdiction, shipping lane pirate protection, and other classified missions. Armament consisted of air-to-surface missiles, depth charges, impact torpedoes, naval mines, and others. A docent gave us a tour of the aircraft.
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
Grumman's OV-1D Mohawk was a twin turboprop aircraft used for battlefield surveillance and low-level air strikes. A placard stated: "The Side-Looking Airborne Radar could look through foliage and map terrain, presenting the observer with a film image of the earth below in only minutes after the area was scanned." It was produced from 1959 to 1970.
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| Picture by Kolohe |
The first flight of Lockheed's T-33 was March 22, 1948. It had a long history of use as a trainer aircraft in the United States and is still used by the Bolivian Air Force.
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| Picture by Kolohe |
North American Aviation built the first FJ-3 "Fury" in 1951 to combat the Soviet MiG-15 that was being used in the Korean War. This was the first aircraft acquired by Hickory Aviation Museum.
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| Picture by Kolohe |
Grumman's F-9 "Cougar" was a carrier-based fighter aircraft used by the United States Navy. The aircraft was unique in that it was designed to fly without the upper portion of the tail.
The Curtiss XF15C-1 is the rarest plane in the museum. Only three of the aircraft were manufactured - the first one crashed in testing, the second was scrapped, and this is the only one left in the world.
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| Picture by Kolohe |
Northrop's F-5 "Tiger II" was produced from 1955 to 1987. This is a supersonic aircraft that could reach speeds of Mach 1.6 (1,060 MPH) and climb to 51,800 feet. Over 800 of these planes were produced for U.S. allies. A sign stated that at least one local Hickory resident flew the aircraft.
Ling-Temco-Vought's A-7 "Coursair II" initial flight was September 26, 1965. The planes were used by the United States until 1991 before they were fazed out of active service. However, the Portuguese Air Force used the aircraft until 1999 and the Hellenic Air Force used it until 2014.
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| Picture by Kolohe |
Republic's F-105 "Thunderchief" is one of the most legendary combat aircraft ever made. It could reach speeds of Mach 2+ and was responsible for shooting down 27 MiG fighters in Vietnam. This aircraft set two fighter jet records in 1958.
The McDonnell Aircraft/McDonald Douglas F-4B "Phantom II" was produced from 1958 until 1981. In 1959 it set 15 world records for in-flight performance, including absolute speed and absolute altitude records.
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| Picture by Kolohe |
The United States retired the Northrop Grumman EA-6B "Prowler" from active service in 2019, but is still in use by other countries around the world. The crew consists of one pilot and three Electronic Countermeasures Officers that can fire anti-radiation missiles (ARMs). It can also be used for jamming enemy radar signals and gathering radio intelligence from enemy air defense systems.
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
Grumman's F-14D " Tomcat" was designed to counter Mig fighters during the Vietnam War. It served as "the U.S. Navy's primary maritime air superiority fighter, fleet interceptor and tactical aerial reconnaissance platform."
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
Sikorsky's SH-3H Sea King was a twin-engine, all weather, multi-purpose helicopter that was used to detect, classify, track and destroy enemy submarines. It was also used for search and rescue operations.
When in the military, the golden rule is "Don't volunteer for anything." However, while waiting in Goose Bay, Labrador, for my discharge papers to be processed, an emergency distress signal was received from some Eskimo seal hunter in northern Labrador. At that time, the Air Force did not have any long-distance helicopters and only had smaller units for fighting local fires. Sikorsky helicopters were used by the local brush pilots, but no one wanted to fly with them because maintenance on their helicopters was questionable and their units were reported to be repaired using a lot of duct tape and wire to hold them together. Since no one came forward to fly with a brush pilot, and I had already been released from duty and had nothing better to do, I volunteered to go on the mission. That is the only time I have ever flown in a Sikorsky helicopter. It turned out to be a safe flight that I'll have to tell more about the mission at a later time.
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
