Aviation historic preservation takes many forms:

	Returning an aircraft to airworthy condition preserves the power and grace of the performing machine.
Curtiss P-40E. TIGHAR photo.

Restoring an aircraft to its former appearance for static exhibition provides a window to the past.
	Vought Corsair KD431 at the Fleet Air Arm Museum, Yeovilton, England

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.
	Handley Page Halifax at Royal Air Force Museum, Hendon, England. TIGHAR photo.

	In some cases, an historic site might be best left undisturbed.  This, too, is a form of historic preservation.
Japanese engine and propeller on Betio Reef, Tarawa, Republic of Kiribati. TIGHAR photo.

Decisions about what standard or form of preservation is most appropriate for any given historic aircraft are, of course, 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.

For more information:

• The TIGHAR Guide to Aviation Historic Preservation Terminology – NOW ON LINE
• The Treatment of the BMW 801D-1 Radial Aero Engine Rescued from the Loiret River
• PROCEEDINGS of the Aircraft to Artifact Seminar, RAF Museum 1990
• Writings on Aviation Historic Preservation from TIGHAR Tracks.