Proceedings of the First International Conference on Aviation Archaeology and Heritage

Abstract

In just over 100 years aircraft technology has gone from the ‘simplistic’ Flyer built by the Wright brothers in 1903 to complex aircraft built for specialized uses such as cargo transport, warfare, space flight and commercial travel. By drastically cutting travel times, air travel that has transformed human connectivity, which in turn has contributed significantly to globalization. It is therefore appropriate that such a momentous invention is afforded attention by those tasked with studying and preserving the human past. If aviation is a relatively recent phenomenon then by default, aviation history, archaeology and heritage are still very much in their gestation period. It is thus imperative that the right direction is set as early as possible as the future shape of these disciplines is being moulded by current practitioners, be they archaeologists, heritage managers, historians or aircraft enthusiasts. Just as we have a responsibility towards future generations of researchers, we must also respect those that contributed to aviation becoming what it is today. We are responsible for studying and preserving some of the work by countless individuals who collectively and brilliantly express the innovative and indeed ingenious elements of human nature.

This volume contains a series of papers delivered at the first International Conference on Aviation Archaeology and Heritage, held in Malta in November 2018. Organised by the University of Malta and the Flying Heritage and Combat Armor Museum, this conference was aimed at exploring commonalities and possible avenues for future research collaboration between those working in the field of archaeology, and those working in heritage management. Whereas the former are mainly involved in the search for and excavation of aircraft crash sites, the latter are tasked with the preservation and display of historic aircraft. Some participants contributed important papers on historical aspects of the discipline based on archival research.

For the first time, the aforementioned sub-disciplines and related research threads are brought together to form an informative tapestry of knowledge on this subject. Anybody with a generic interest in aviation history will enjoy this volume as will the specialists looking for research and material that are specific to their field. We hope that you enjoy the book as much we enjoyed organising the event and meeting with and listening to all the brilliant people that attended.