General Information:
TIGHAR’s Policy Toward Aviation Historic Preservation
Aviation historic preservation takes many forms:
Returning an aircraft to airworthy condition preserves the power and grace of the performing machine.
Restoring an aircraft to its former appearance for static exhibition provides a window to the past.
Sometimes, historically significant aircraft survive with much of their original structure intact. Such aircraft are candidates for true museum conservation – the preservation of the actual material that was present at a particular moment in history.
In some cases, an historic site might be best left undisturbed. This, too, is a form of historic preservation.
Decisions about what standard or form of preservation is most appropriate for any given historic aircraft are up to the individual owner, collector, or museum – so long as they are carried out in accordance with applicable law.
TIGHAR’s goal is to promote awareness and recognition of the various forms of preservation so that decisions by pilots, managers and curators can be made from an informed perspective and so that the aviation enthusiast public can better appreciate and support their efforts.