About this museum
Also known as / searched as: Solway Aviation Museum · Solway Aviation Museum Carlisle · Carlisle Airport museum · Solway Aviation Museum tickets · Solway Aviation Museum opening times · Blue Streak Spadeadam
Carlisle Airport's Solway Aviation Museum is the Cumbrian outpost of the V-force: a tidy indoor collection, a ramp of Cold War jets, and the singular Spadeadam exhibition covering the Blue Streak missile programme tested up the road — Britain's forgotten space programme, told by the neighbours.
Listed inventory: 21 airframes.
- Vulcan B.2 XJ823, crew-compartment visits
- F-4 Phantom & EE Lightning
- The Blue Streak / Spadeadam story
Vulcan XJ823 with pre-bookable crew-compartment visits; a Phantom, Lightning and Canberra (whose three-crew cockpit reviewers describe as 'unbelievably tight') complete the set.
Weekend-centric opening; check before travelling. The Blue Streak section is the sleeper hit for anyone who thought Britain never did rockets.
- “GREAT visit and aircraft exhibits so accessible, many with open cockpits. Sit in the Vulcan, a 'claustrophobic' highlight.”— Steve Young
- “Well made museum. Superfriendly staff and of course interessting planes....we had a great time.”— Re Ni
- “A super air museum, well worth a visit. Where else in the world can one climb up into a Vulcan or sit in the pilot's seat in a Canberra. Knowledgeable guides. A joy to visit”— Keith Stevens
Public map reports · excerpted for reference · not reviews collected by this gazetteer
The collection in profile
18 types held here that we have drawn and built in 3D. Choose one to turn it over, or see all 171 in The Hangar.
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Blackburn Beverley C.1
C.1
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Meteor
Meteor F.8
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Vampire
Vampire FB.5
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Hunter
Hunter F.6
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Gnat T.1
Gnat T.1
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Canberra
Canberra B.2
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Vulcan
Vulcan B.2
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Chipmunk
DHC-1 Chipmunk T.10
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Sea Prince
Sea Prince T.1
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Westland Whirlwind
Whirlwind HAR.10
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Slingsby Tutor
Slingsby T.31B Tandem Tutor (RAF Cadet TX.3)
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Lightning
Lightning F.6
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Hawker Siddeley Harrier
Harrier GR.3
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Jaguar
Jaguar GR.1A
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Hawker Siddeley Trident
Trident 2E
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British Aerospace Jetstream 31
Jetstream 31
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Westland Sea King
Sea King HAR.3
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British Aerospace Sea Harrier
Sea Harrier FA.2
Frequently asked
What are the opening times for Solway Aviation Museum?
Fri–Mon 10.30am–5pm (May–Sep). Verify current opening times with the museum before travelling.
How much does Solway Aviation Museum cost?
Adult admission is listed as £8. Check the museum's current prices before travelling.
Which aircraft can you see at Solway Aviation Museum?
The listed collection includes Avro Vulcan B.2 (XJ823), BAC Jet Provost T.4 (XS209), English Electric Lightning F.53 (ZF583), de Havilland Vampire T.11 (WZ515), Fairey Gannet ECM.6 (XA459). Aircraft move between displays, so confirm current holdings before travelling.
Does Solway Aviation Museum have parking or a cafe?
Parking is recorded on site; a cafe or restaurant is recorded. Check current facilities with the museum before travelling.
Airframe checklist
Tick them off as you go. Identities are as held in the gazetteer survey — verify against the museum’s own labels if something has moved.
Inventory last verified 2026-10-08: source 1 · source 2. Aircraft move between sites; report corrections to the compiler.
Location & contact
- Address
- Aviation House, Carlisle Airport, Crosby on Eden CA6 4NW
- Phone
- 01228 573823
- Website
- www.solway-aviation-museum.co.uk/
- Hours
- Fri–Mon 10.30am–5pm (May–Sep)
(from your local clock — verify before travel) - Gazetteer
- NO-05 · Northern England · the situation map