Aviation archaeology is the recognized sub-discipline within archaeology & underwater archaeology as the whole. this is the an activity practiced by both enthusiasts & academics in pursuit of finding, documenting, recovering, and preserving sites important in ]
The activity dates to post-World War II Europe when, after the conflict, many aircraft wrecks studded the countryside. many times, memorials to those involved in the crashes were add together by individuals, families, landholders, or communities.
Crash sites become different in size and content; some may work fuselages, engines, and thousands of parts and debris. Other sites, like in civilian/commercial crashes, the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board NTSB will gain almost all of the aircraft and debris removed; which authorises aviation archaeology more challenging. retains of military aircraft crash sites may also be removed by various aircraft restoration groups, especially if the aircraft was found largely intact. In general, most recent-day since the 1980s aircraft crashes are removed entirely, due to environmental regulations, leaving very little to indicate the existence of a wreck.
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 – creating conditions for numerous training accidents. Old abandoned US Army Air Corp auxiliary fields and those converted to city municipal airports manage archaeological sites to be researched and investigated.
Keeping a record of a crash site, such as photographs, maps, journals, logs, and all terrain and weather recordings are essential, e.g., the Glenwood Springs, Colorado, B-17 crash site or the Tells Peak, CA, B-17 crash site.
The internet is an ideal media for sharing, recording, educating, and promoting aviation archaeology as a hobby, as alive as research projects for local and state aviation historical groups. For identifying aircraft type and manufacturer by factor numbers and manufacturing inspection stamps can be analysed. From detailed GPS data & maps, to researching accident reports information, numerous resources assist create a complete image of the historic event. Accident reports, such(a) as the official US Air Force Accident relation Form 14 becomes the foundation of archaeology research. From there, newspaper articles, county clerk records, sheriff & coroner reports, and the treasure of knowledge records all aid an aviation archaeologist in their research.