Carpetbagger Aviation Museum

About the museum

The museum occupies part of the hardened group operations building on the former administration site of the Second World War airfield at Harrington in Northamptonshire, known as Station 179. It was formed in 1993 for the fiftieth-anniversary reunion of the United States Army Air Forces 801st (Provisional) and 492nd Bomb Group, the Carpetbaggers, and is run by the Harrington Aviation Museum Society, a registered charity.

The displays tell the history of the airfield and the Carpetbaggers’ secret night missions to drop agents and supplies to resistance groups in occupied Europe. They also cover the work of the British Special Operations Executive, which operated from RAF Tempsford, and the Cold War role of Harrington, where Thor nuclear missiles were deployed in the late 1950s and early 1960s. The Royal Observer Corps also has its own display.

A short distance away, a former Paymaster Nissen hut holds the Northants Aviation Society Museum, with wreckage recovered from Second World War aircraft and related equipment. The museum opens only on selected weekends and bank-holiday weekends between April and October.

Highlights

• Displays on Operation Carpetbagger and the 801st/492nd Bomb Group
• Special Operations Executive and RAF Tempsford exhibits
• Cold War Thor missile history of RAF Harrington
• Royal Observer Corps display
• Recovered Second World War aircraft remains in the nearby Northants Aviation Society Museum

Permanent exhibitions

• Operation Carpetbagger – The story of the airfield and the 801st/492nd Bomb Group’s secret missions to supply resistance groups and agents in occupied Europe.
• Special Operations Executive and RAF Tempsford – Displays on the secret work of the British Special Operations Executive from its RAF base at Tempsford.
• Cold War Thor missiles and the Royal Observer Corps – The airfield’s Cold War role with Thor missiles, and the work of the Royal Observer Corps.

Founded

1993

Operated by

Harrington Aviation Museum Society

Admission & discounts

Standard admission during normal opening hours.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The main exhibition rooms are wheelchair accessible and a wheelchair is available on site.

Kids & families

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Getting there & parking

The museum is reached by a roadway off the Harrington to Lamport road, next to the bridge over the A14, and lies about a mile along it. The road is fairly narrow but has several passing places and is suitable for coaches.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop

Tea room and souvenir shop, toilets and a picnic area.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit