The idea for an aviation museum in Hagerstown began in 1995 with a group of individuals that included Richard Henson, Kent Mitchell, John Seburn, and Kurtis Meyers.

After a decade of delays, the museum opened to the public at the Discovery Station in downtown Hagerstown, Maryland on 14 July 2005.

[2][failed verification] The following year, the museum led a community fundraising effort and purchased a Fairchild C-82 Packet, the first of a series of cargo airplanes produced by Fairchild in Hagerstown.

This airplane was purchased at the liquidation auction of Hawkins and Powers in Greybull, Wyoming.

[5][6] After originally considering building a new hangar, the museum moved to the former Fairchild Aircraft Flight Test Hangar in 2020 and purchased the building three years later.