Historic A320 Being Reassembled In Charlotte

We all remember the dramatic live TV shots of passengers standing on the wings of US Airways Flight 1549, waiting to be rescued after the ditching that came to be known as the "Miracle on the Hudson." (Photo: Gregory Lam.) For the first time since the famous Airbus A320 was pulled from the Hudson River in New York City and disassembled in early 2009, its wings were put back in place last week at the North Carolina museum where it is now on permanent display.

WCNC-TV in Charlotte reports that a crew of volunteers, including current and retired US Airways mechanics, with the assistance of two huge cranes, positioned the wings for reattachment last Wednesday at the Carolinas Aviation Museum. There is hope this portion of the job can be finished by January 15, the third anniversary of what has been called the most successful ditching in aviation history.

Charlotte was the intended destination of Flight 1549 when it left New York LaGuardia on that fateful day. While there are lots of other interesting civilian and military airplanes and helicopters on display at the facility, museum Director Shawn Dorsch tells WCNC the famous A320 is what everyone is coming to see. "Attendance went from about 15,000 to 50,000 people a year on an annual basis," he says. "I actually believe that by this time next year we'll probably be running 70,000 to 80,000 people a year."

FMI: www.carolinasaviation.org