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Information about Aviation Archaeology

Aviation archaeology, also known as aerospace archaeology, aircraft archaeology, crash hunting, wreck chasing, or wreckology, is an activity practiced throughout the world by both outdoor recreationists and academics in pursuit of finding, documenting, recovering, and preserving sites important in aviation history. For the most part, these sites are aircraft wrecks and crash sites, but also include structures and facilities related to aviation.

Post World War II history

The activity dates to post-World War II Europe when, after the conflict, numerous aircraft wrecks studded the countryside. Many times, memorials to those involved in the crashes were put together by individuals, families, landholders, or communities.

As the activity grew in size and popularity, laws and regulations were created in some areas to counter problems created, such as trespassing and the disturbance of "war graves". In the United Kingdom, regardless of nationality or the date of crash, all military aircraft crash sites are protected in the Protection of Military Remains Act. Under the act, passed into law in 1986 it is a criminal offense for anyone without a license to tamper with, damage, move, remove or unearth any part of a crashed military aircraft [1][2].

In the United States, the activity remains relatively unknown, and has little regulation. However, under the recently-passed 'Sunken Military Craft Act', it is illegal to disturb the wreck sites of U.S. Naval or any submerged military aircraft[3] and, under National Transportation Safety Board(NTSB) part 830, any aircraft whose accident cause is under investigation [4]. The U.S. Air Force has no policies against the hobby, unless human remains are currently unrecovered at the site.

Current day

Enlarge picture
B-17 turbocharger, crash debris
Crash sites vary in size and content; some may have fuselages, engines, and thousands of parts and debris. Other sites, like in civilian/commercial crashes, the Federal Aviation Administration and the NTSB will have almost all of the aircraft and debris removed; which makes aviation archaeology more challenging. There are different laws, rules, and procedures, depending on the jurisdiction or land ownership that will dictate the removal or non-removal of aircraft remains. Such agencies as US Forest Service, National Park Service, US Air Force, US Navy, US Army, US Marines, city and county governments, and land ownership will all participate in the outcome of accident remains.

In general, most recent-day (since the 1980s) aircraft crashes are removed entirely, leaving very little to indicate the existence of a wreck at one time.

Enlarge picture
Measure, photo. and log aircraft debris.
Also, foreign nations will have their set of laws and protocols.

For example, military crashes in Arizona originate from numerous air bases, past and present. Because of the warm and sunny weather, much of the U.S. Army Air Forces flight training was located in the state, both during and after WWII. Numerous air bases dotted the states - unfortunately creating conditions for numerous training accidents.[5] Old abandoned US Army Air Corp auxiliary fields and converted fields to city municipal airports provides archaeological sites to be researched and investigated.[6]

Keeping a record of a crash site, such as photographs, maps, journals, logs, and all terrain and weather recordings are essential, i.e.. the Glenwood Springs, Colorado, B-17 crash site[7]. or the Tells Peak, CA, B-17 crash site [8].

Enlarge picture
B-17 crash debris with part number, photo. and log part, do not remove from US Forest property.


The internet is an ideal media for sharing, recording, educating, and promoting aviation archaeology as a hobby, as well as research projects for local and state aviation historical groups. For identifying aircraft type and manufacturer by part numbers[9] and manufacturing inspection stamps[10] can be analysed. From detailed GPS data & maps, to researching accident reports information, numerous resources help create a complete picture of the historic event. Accident reports, such as the official US Air Force Accident Report[11] Form 14 becomes the foundation of archaeology research. From there, newspaper articles, county clerk records, sherriff & coroner reports, and library records all aid an aviation archaeologist in their research. By using all available resources, one can develop a concise history of the crash.

Abandoned Missile Silos and Sites

California has many missile launch sites abandoned by the US Army.[12] Archaeological research includes these sites throughout the United States. Exploring and hiking around abandoned silos and sites may constitute trespassing as well as being very dangerous.[13] Permission from current land owners or caretakers is imperative. Research and formal site investigations adds to the historical record of the Cold War.

References

Additional reading

See also

External links

Aviation history deals with the development of mechanical flight, from the earliest attempts in kite-powered and gliding flight, to the demonstration of sustained, controlled and powered heavier-than-air flight, and beyond.
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Allied powers:
 Soviet Union
 United States
 United Kingdom
 China
 France
...et al. Axis powers:
 Germany
 Japan
 Italy
...et al.
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Europe is one of the seven traditional continents of the Earth. Physically and geologically, Europe is the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, west of Asia. Europe is bounded to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the west by the Atlantic Ocean, to the south by the Mediterranean Sea,
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trespass can be:
  1. the criminal act of going into somebody else's land or property without permission of the owner or lessee;
  2. a civil law tort that may be a valid cause of action to seek judicial relief and possibly damages through a lawsuit - see trespass to land.

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Motto
"Dieu et mon droit" [2]   (French)
"God and my right"
Anthem
"God Save the Queen" [3]
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Acts of Parliament of predecessor
states to the United Kingdom
Acts of English Parliament to 1601
Acts of English Parliament to 1641
Acts and Ordinances (Interregnum) to 1660
Acts of English Parliament to 1699
Acts of English Parliament to 1706
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Motto
"In God We Trust"   (since 1956)
"E Pluribus Unum"   ("From Many, One"; Latin, traditional)
Anthem
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United States Navy (USN) is the branch of the United States armed forces responsible for conducting naval operations. The U.S. Navy currently has over 340,000 personnel on active duty and nearly 128,000 in the Navy Reserve.
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National Transportation
Safety Board

Official seal and emblem
Agency overview
Formed April 1, 1967
Preceding Agency Civil Aeronautics Board

Jurisdiction Federal government of the United States

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United States Air Force (USAF) is the aerial warfare branch of the United States armed forces and one of the seven uniformed services. Previously part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947.
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Federal Aviation Administration

Agency overview
Formed August 23, 1958
Preceding Agency Civil Aeronautics Administration

Jurisdiction Federal government of the United States

Agency Executive
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United States Forest Service

Logo of the U.S. Forest Service.

Agency overview
Formed 1905
Preceding Agency Bureau of Forestry

Jurisdiction Federal Government of the United States


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National Park Service

National Park Service arrowhead symbol

Agency overview
Formed August 25, 1916

Headquarters Main Interior Building (MIB), Washington, D.C.
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City of Glenwood Springs
Location in Garfield County and the state of Colorado
Coordinates:
Country  United States
State  Colorado
County[1] Garfield
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Type Strategic bomber
Manufacturer Boeing
Designed by Edward C. Wells
E. Gifford Emery
Maiden flight 28 July 1935[1]
Introduction April 1938
Retired 1968 (Brazilian Air Force)
Primary users
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Tells Peak is a mountain in the Sierra Nevada mountain range at the very north end of the subrange of the Crystal Mountains (California), to the east of Lake Tahoe. It is located in the Desolation Wilderness in El Dorado County, California.
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Type Strategic bomber
Manufacturer Boeing
Designed by Edward C. Wells
E. Gifford Emery
Maiden flight 28 July 1935[1]
Introduction April 1938
Retired 1968 (Brazilian Air Force)
Primary users
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Global Positioning System (GPS) is the only fully functional Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS). Utilizing a constellation of at least 24 medium Earth orbit satellites that transmit precise microwave signals, the system enables a GPS receiver to determine its
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missile silo is an underground vertical cylindrical container for the storage and launching of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs). They typically have the missile some distance under the surface, protected by a large "blast door" on top.
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A missile (see also pronunciation differences) is a self-propelled, explosive projectile used as a weapon towards a target.

Etymology

The word missile comes from the Latin verb mittere, literally meaning "to send".
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The United States Army is the largest and oldest branch of the armed forces of the United States. Like all armies, it has the primary responsibility for land-based military operations.
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Motto
"In God We Trust"   (since 1956)
"E Pluribus Unum"   ("From Many, One"; Latin, traditional)
Anthem
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missile silo is an underground vertical cylindrical container for the storage and launching of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs). They typically have the missile some distance under the surface, protected by a large "blast door" on top.
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Property law
Part of the common law series
Acquisition of property
Gift  · Adverse possession  · Deed
Lost, mislaid, and abandoned property
Alienation  · Bailment  · License
Estates in land
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The Cold War was the period of conflict, tension and competition between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies from the mid-1940s until the early 1990s.
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aviation accident is defined in the International Civil Aviation Organisation Annex 13. The definition may be summarised as:
An occurrence associated with the operation of an aircraft which takes place between the time any person boards the aircraft with the intention of

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Air safety is a broad term encompassing the theory, investigation and categorization of flight failures, and the prevention of such failures through appropriate regulation, as well as through education and training.
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A crash cover, also known as an air accident cover or interrupted flight cover, is a cover (envelope) that has been recovered from a fixed-wing aircraft or airship crash or other accident. Crash covers are a type of interrupted mail.
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Industrial archaeology, like other branches of archaeology, is the study of material culture from the past, but with a focus on industry. Strictly speaking, industrial archaeology includes sites from the earliest times (such as prehistoric copper mining in the British Peak
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