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| Aviation Preservation Society | |
|---|---|
| Name | Aviation Preservation Society |
| Type | Nonprofit organization |
| Founded | 1978 |
| Headquarters | unspecified |
| Area served | International |
| Focus | Aircraft preservation, heritage aviation, museum curation, restoration |
| Website | none |
Aviation Preservation Society The Aviation Preservation Society is a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving, restoring, and interpreting historic aircraft and aviation artifacts. Founded by a coalition of veterans, pilots, and collectors, the Society brings together curators, historians, and engineers to safeguard examples of civil and combat aircraft for public display and study. Through partnerships with museums, archives, and airshows, the Society promotes heritage conservation, technical restoration, and community engagement.
The Society traces its roots to post-World War II enthusiast groups that formed around preserved aircraft such as the Supermarine Spitfire, North American P-51 Mustang, and Avro Lancaster. Early collaborators included volunteers from the Imperial War Museum, Smithsonian Institution, and regional groups inspired by high-profile restorations like the Enola Gay and the Memphis Belle. During the 1960s and 1970s, rising concern over scrapyard losses of types like the Douglas DC-3, Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, and Consolidated PBY Catalina led to formal incorporation in 1978. The Society expanded during the 1980s and 1990s through exchanges with the Royal Air Force Museum, National Air and Space Museum, and the Commemorative Air Force, participating in repatriation projects and cold-war era recoveries such as restored examples of the MiG-15 and Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21. In the 21st century, collaborations with institutions including Smithsonian Institution National Air and Space Museum and the Vintage Aviator Ltd have emphasized digital cataloguing and international loans.
The Society's mission is to conserve representative examples of aircraft and associated material culture to enable research, education, and public appreciation. Primary objectives include acquisition of airframes like the Fokker Dr.I, Messerschmitt Bf 109, and Sikorsky H-34; documentation of provenance connected to events such as the Battle of Britain and the Berlin Airlift; and maintenance of operational examples for interpretive flights linked to commemorations like D-Day ceremonies. The Society aims to adhere to standards set by professional bodies including the International Council of Museums and partnerships with archives such as the National Archives (UK) and the Library of Congress for primary-source preservation.
Governance follows a trustee model with a board drawn from aviation professionals, conservators, and historians affiliated with institutions like the Royal Aeronautical Society, Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, and university departments at institutions comparable to Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Cranfield University. Committees oversee restoration, collections management, safety, and outreach; advisory panels include representatives from the Civil Aviation Authority, veteran groups such as the Royal Canadian Air Force Association, and curators from the Science Museum Group. The Society operates regional chapters modeled after organizations such as the Experimental Aircraft Association and maintains memorandum of understanding arrangements with municipal museums and historic aerodromes like Duxford and Farnborough Airport.
Collections comprise fixed-wing, rotary-wing, and lighter-than-air artifacts spanning early pioneers like Wright Flyer replicas to jet age types like the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird and McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II. Exhibits include cockpit mockups, flight logs tied to figures such as Charles Lindbergh and Amelia Earhart, and engine collections featuring powerplants like the Rolls-Royce Merlin and Pratt & Whitney R-2800. Collaborations permit loans to institutions including the National Museum of Flight and the Australian National Aviation Museum, while traveling exhibits spotlight themes such as transatlantic crossings tied to Pan American World Airways and polar exploration linked to Sir Ernest Shackleton expeditions. Provenance documentation follows cataloguing practice advanced by the International Council on Archives.
Restoration is guided by conservation principles practiced at institutions like the Conservation Center for Art and Historic Artifacts. Projects range from full airworthiness restoration of types such as the de Havilland Tiger Moth and Grumman F6F Hellcat to static preservation of fragile items including early aeroplane fabric coverings. Techniques integrate metallurgical analysis, composite repair methods developed at research centers like Fraunhofer Society, and archival research in repositories such as the National Archives and Records Administration. The Society emphasizes reversible treatments, documentation standards comparable to the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property, and safety oversight aligned with regulators like the Federal Aviation Administration and European Union Aviation Safety Agency for airworthy projects.
Educational programs include guided tours, school partnerships modeled on initiatives at the Science Museum (London), internships in collaboration with universities like University of Glasgow and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, and digital resources hosted alongside collections at the Smithsonian Institution. Outreach targets veteran communities, youth STEM programs associated with the Royal Aeronautical Society and the Aerospace Industries Association, and oral-history projects in partnership with the Imperial War Museum and Veterans History Project. Curriculum materials align with historic case studies such as the Hindenburg disaster and the Apollo program for cross-disciplinary engagement.
The Society organizes and participates in events alongside established gatherings like the EAA AirVenture Oshkosh, Farnborough International Airshow, and Paris Air Show. It curates commemorative flypasts for anniversaries of the Battle of Britain and the Battle of Midway, hosts symposiums with scholars from the International Committee for Museums and Collections of Science and Technology, and stages hands-on restoration workshops at venues such as Duxford Airfield and regional historic aerodromes. These events foster partnerships with reenactment groups, veteran associations, and civilian aerobatic teams similar to the Red Arrows and the Blue Angels.
Funding streams include grants from cultural bodies comparable to the National Endowment for the Humanities, corporate sponsorships from aerospace firms like Rolls-Royce Holdings and Airbus, and philanthropic support from foundations such as the Gates Foundation for STEM outreach. Membership tiers provide benefits modeled after the Museum of Flight and the Imperial War Museum including magazine subscriptions, priority access to events, and volunteer restoration roles. The Society also derives income from ticketed exhibitions, merchandise licensing agreements with entities like Lucasfilm for film-related exhibits, and public donations coordinated with crowdfunding platforms and legacy giving facilitated by legal advisors experienced with trusts and estates.
Category:Aviation preservation organizations