Solway Aviation Museum


The Solway Aviation Museum is an aviation museum located at Carlisle Lake District Airport in Cumbria.

About

The Museum is run by The Solway Aviation Society and staffed by volunteers. The Society is a registered charity supported by entrance charges to the Museum, and public donations. In addition to normal opening the Museum hosts educational visits for school classes studying the Second World War and for Scouts achieving their Air Activities Badge. Following the closure of the RAF Millom Museum, many of the artefacts were moved to Solway Aviation Museum for safe keeping and eventual exhibition when space permits.
The Buildings contain exhibits and artefacts relating to aviation in Cumbria, including the Second World War and also houses individual displays featuring the development of the Blue Streak missile, Martin-Baker ejection seats, and the development and activities of the Airport itself since the Second World War.

History

In April 2024, the museum raised enough money to move the only surviving Blackburn Beverly to the museum from Fort Paull. Seven months later, the museum received a Tornado GR1 which had been a gate guard at RAF Spadeadam.

Collection

The current collection includes the following:
AircraftSerialNotes
Avro Vulcan B.2XJ823Royal Air Force, it was flown into Carlisle Airport in January 1983, after the Falklands War
BAC Jet Provost T.4XS209Royal Air Force, was used as a training airframe
BAC Lightning F.53ZF583Former Royal Saudi Air Force painted in Royal Air Force markings.
DH Vampire T.11WZ515Royal Air Force
Fairey Gannet ECM.6XA459
Gloster Meteor NF.14WS832Built by Armstrong Whitworth, last used at the Royal Aerospace Establishment Llandbedr, Wales
English Electric Canberra T.4WE188Royal Air Force
Hawker Hunter F.51XG190Former Royal Danish Air Force aircraft painted to represent an aircraft of the Empire Test Pilot's School
McDonnell Douglas Phantom FGR.2XV406Royal Air Force, formerly a gate guard at 14 MU RAF Carlisle
Panavia Tornado GR.1Royal Navy
Percival Sea Prince T.1WP314Royal Navy
SEPECAT Jaguar T.4XX146
Sikorsky Whirlwind HAR.21WV198Royal Navy