Address:
135 Air Museum Way
Sevierville, TN 37862
Telephone:(865) 908-9372
Museum is located two miles from downtown Sevierville on US Hwy. 411 toward Newport, and then turn right onto Air Museum Way at the Evergreen Church. Interesting the museum website says it will not be found on a GPS, but use church as the destination point (1103 Dolly Parton Parkway).
From the Tennessee Aviation Network (link) :
AVIATION HALL OF FAME INDUCTS FOUR AT 8TH ANNUAL GALA
Sevierville – November 17, 2009
Over 400 aviation aficionados', families and friends witnessed the Induction of four extraordinary Tennesseans at Saturday evening's 8th Annual Tennessee Aviation Hall of Fame Gala and Induction Ceremony at the Tennessee Museum of Aviation. This year's event also dedicated part of the program to a celebration of Evelyn Bryan Johnson's 100th birthday. Mrs. Johnson, an aviation legend in her own right, was inducted in 2002 and became a Centenarian on November 4th. Her 57,640 logged flight hours, more than any woman in aviation history, have earned her a place in The Genius Book of World Records. Mrs. Johnson manages Morristown's Municipal Airport.
More than 400 attended the 2009 Gala & Induction event
This years Gala became a "Gathering of Eagles" as notable friends of the inductees arrived to honor those being enshrined. 2009 Honoree Lt. Col. William H. Pickron, Jr., a pilot to many Tennessee Governors, was pleasantly surprised when he discovered that his WWII era buddies: Robert J. "Bob" Gilliland, Lt. Col. Ed Yeilding, Lt. Col. Charlie Brakebill and S/Sgt. Dennis Livesay had come to celebrate his induction. Bob Gilliland was Lockheed's Chief Test Pilot for the SR-71 "Blackbird" development and still holds the record for the most flight hours at 3-times the speed of sound. Yeilding is the holder of a number of speed records in the SR-71, including a coast-to-coast flight time of 67 minutes 54 seconds. Charlie Brakebill and Dennis Livesay rounded out Pickron's former USAF comrade's reunion. The enduring bond of these extraordinary veteran aviators was palpable throughout the evening.
Inductees for 2009 included Nashville native Jennifer Cairns Baker; Memphian Jim D. Ethridge; the posthumous induction of E. Ward King of Kingsport and Lt. Col. Pickron of Murfreesboro.
Mrs. Baker was honored for her tireless advocacy for Aircraft Maintenance Technicians and the AMT profession. She owns the Baker School of Aeronautics in Nashville, a world renowned AMT certification training school. Mr. Ethridge, a member of the Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority and former member and chairman of the Tennessee Aeronautics Commission has made numerous contributions to the entire airports and aviation industry in Tennessee. The late E. Ward King founded Tennessee's first intrastate commuter airline and Lt. Col. Pickron, in addition to his noteworthy military service, served as the State of Tennessee's first Chief Pilot, flying Governors, cabinet members and state officials. He also made flights to successfully transport life-saving human organs in extreme weather conditions.
The Tennessee Aviation Hall of Fame is Tennessee's official aviation hall of fame and the state's Repository & Archive for Aviation History. Those selected for induction must have made a significant and enduring contribution or service to aviation from within Tennessee's borders, or be a native Tennessean who made their extraordinary contribution or service from anywhere in the world. To date, thirty-three men and women who have made or contributed to Tennessee's aviation history have been enshrined. Their stories are displayed on permanent plaques that hang in a place of honor in the Tennessee Museum of Aviation located on the Gatlinburg-Pigeon Forge Airport in Sevierville.
The Tennessee Aviation Hall of Fame is a non-profit IRS 501(c)(3) organization.