This was fun. I'm looking forward to the second session, which begins at 2100 UK time.

So modest! In reality, Peter’s an exceptional font of wisdom - and the only ‘Emeritus’ we have in either session!

8 Hrs to Aviation Cultures Spotlight on Logbooks and AvDocs! Join us free, online on Zoom to join our distinguished international speakers, followed by the rare opportunity to ask questions of the experts. Full details aviationcultures.org/spotlights/l...

How did the IBCC Digital Archive’s ethos of remembrance, recognition, and reconciliation as an approach to difficult heritage, lead to the way Bomber Command logbooks are described in the archive? Sign up, and I'll tell you... @avculturesconf.bsky.social @nmtdambusters.bsky.social #History #WW2

Reminder! Only 2 days to the free online Logbooks & AvDocs. Did Guy Gibson 'fudge' his logbook? And one of our experts' 'smoking gun' document: "...reminding audiences that you can’t always trust the people you think you should be able to trust." Join us! -JDK aviationcultures.org/spotlights/l...

I'm looking forward to presenting in the first session of this online event, on RFC and RAF manuals and related literature. The session starts on Saturday at 0900 UCT (that's GMT in old money).

Engaged in aviation history research? We've got a VERY useful, FREE, online Spotlight this weekend. In-depth WWII British Commonwealth insight in Sess 1, many wider insights inc legal docs & getting your P-51 papers in Tech Order: Sess 2. Join us! -JDK. Details: aviationcultures.org/spotlights/l...

Logbook oddities? We’re interested. What’s the strangest, funniest or most unexpected thing that you’ve found* in an aviation logbook? We’ll be talking ‘Logbooks & Avdocs’ in our next Spotlight event, free, online, in just over a month. Can you tease us with an odd fact first? -JDK

@avculturesconf.bsky.social Update! The Call for Papers for the ‘Print the Legend’ Spotlight is still open. (Closes 31 Oct). We’re looking for papers that interrogate the boundaries between truth and legend, and that contribute to a richer, nuanced understanding of aviation’s cultural legacy... 1/n

Going to be worth your time! @danellin.bsky.social shares great research.

🛩️Call for Papers for "Print the Legend"🛩️is now open Held online 27–28 February 2026 CfP closes 31 October 2025. Inspired by “When the legend becomes fact, print the legend” we invite scholars, practitioners & enthusiasts to explore the intersection of fact & fiction in aviation history. 1/6

Call for Papers is closing soon! We're keen to hear from you with ideas for Aviation Cultures Spotlight 'Logbooks & AvDocs' in November, but the Call for Papers closes Sunday 31 August 2025. And see you at the free, online event - put the date in your diary now! aviationcultures.org/spotlights/l...

Spotlight on Logbooks & AvDocs – Call for Papers. Closing date 31 August 2025! @philthyavnurd.bsky.social, @jdkightly.bsky.social (me!) of Aviation Cultures present this event on 8 Nov, free, online. We want your input! Ideas, papers, Qs, prompts: let us know. aviationcultures.org/spotlights/l...

For academics & scholars who've uploaded papers to Academia, this message I received this morning should be of major concern. I'll delete my account, but I assume damage is done & they've already scraped everything of mine. Should stand as a warning about sharing one's work on commercial websites

It's happening! Aviation Cultures' team announce 2 Spotlight events to join the previously announced Mk.VIII Conference. The Spotlights are free and online. With topic experts on aviation writing, you don't want to miss them! Stay tuned for details, experts, and maybe YOU can contribute too? -JDK

Sharing this, because it's tangentially related to some forthcoming news we'll be sharing. So if you're not following us already, and you're interested in aviation stories and publications, well, maybe you'll want to from now on! -JDK

Without doubt one of the world's most original Spitfires, still in its (later) wartime paint. With a remarkable war career. -JDK

I probably should have shared this days ago - my first @theconversation.com article ever! theconversation.com/speculation-...

The countdown to Aviation Cultures Conference Mk.VIII is on! It's a pleasure to be working with @jdkightly.bsky.social and the whole @avculturesconf.bsky.social team to help organize the group's first Canadian event. 🇨🇦🤝🇦🇺 More details to come, including with a Call for Papers in the coming months 📝

It's happening! The next Aviation Cultures Conference, Mk.VIII will take place at the KF Centre For Excellence, in Kelowna, BC, Canada, AND online, in partnership with the Canadian Aviation Historical Society (CAHS) on 17-20 June 2026. Stay tuned for more details at aviationcultures.org

We're here to interact with interested and interesting other BlueSky members, so please make sure your feed has (at a bare minimum) a post or two from you talking a little about what you're engaged with. Accounts with NO posts - how can we know you're real? Accounts with ONLY reposts also get a no.

The CAC Boomerang was an unusual aircraft. Here's a short 5 minute video Keith Webb and I made for @avculturesconf.bsky.social to share on the anniversary of it's first flight on 29 May 1942. (Another notable fighter first flew on this day in 1935: the Messerschmitt Bf 109.) vimeo.com/517474962

CFP: Thinking of the Children: Book Bans, Censorship and Literature for Young People An online conference hosted by the University of Münster 11-12 February 2026 Abstracts due 11:59pm on 31 August! Full CFP and to submit: indico.uni-muenster.de/event/3505/ Please share!

Ok, folks, last reading recommendation request for a while, I promise: Favorite essays/primary sources/teaching materials on drone warfare, to be used in an undergrad seminar on the global history of bombing ("From Dresden to Drones")???? No bounds in term of period, place, or type of media.

Wonder if we know anyone who'll be going to this 'Big Stuff' event? I don't think we'll manage to get to the Perth WA one either, sadly. -JDK bigstuff2025.info

Virtual Lecture: An RAF Canada Connection: The British Commonwealth Air Training Plan in Picton, 6 November 2025. Arjun Ram completed his Master of the Arts in History at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ont. -JDK www.rafmuseum.org.uk/london/whats...

At the Canada Aviation & Space Museum, 'Fight and flight: Aerial firefighting in Canada on rotary wings' on 20 March 2025. Live & online: Thanks to the Kenneth M. Molson Foundation with support from the Ingenium Foundation. Details: ingenium.ca/aviation/en/... -JDK

Stay tuned, this ‘Print the Legend’ event will look at both sides of that idea, with some really top insight, such as Ian’s. Get ready, get the book! -JDK

Please join me in also welcoming Edward to a more active role on @bsky.app - please give him a follow and help us help you to more great historic aviation and @avculturesconf.bsky.social content! It's your interest we're doing it for, and thus your help we need! Tag: @edwardsoye.bsky.social

Delighted to welcome @edwardsoye.bsky.social Soye to the @avculturesconf.bsky.social team as my co-organiser for AvCultures Canada in mid 2026. He has fantastic hands-on & academic aviation experience! We've complimentary outlooks, both having global aviation passions centred on Canada & Australia.

And a BIG THANK YOU to the follow backs, the new follows (G'Day!) and those who are engaging with AvCultures here. We love it. Can we request a favour though? If you like what you see, PLEASE share, engage with our chat, and amplify. We do only because we think it's worth it, no other reward! -JDK

Tomorrow we'll introduce a vital new team member of AvCultures, with a key role to play (Ooo, teasing...) in the meantime, Here's a quote from AvCultures founding member (and still advising and supporting!) Dr Prudence Black (she's top left in this screenshot) here: (1/3, -JDK)

Let's look at some feedback we've had! Since going online, we've had a global audience, literally from Malta to Peru, Japan to Slovenia. But at the same time we realised the social element was critical. We used Gathertown, thanks to (IIRC) @thesiswhisperer.bsky.social's tip. www.gather.town -JDK

AvCultures News! The team are delighted to announce a number of online events. Later in 2025 we will have two 'Spotlights' over 1 to 2 days each: 'Logbooks & Avdocs' and 'Print the Legend'. And a full conference in mid-2026, the first Aviation Cultures Canada! Stay tuned. More below: -JDK

Ooo. So much of heritage, so much of aviation, and history (in literally one key definition) IS paperwork. So what paperwork debacle stories can YOU share? -JDK

Although I joined late, it's been great working with the Aviation Cultures team, its supporters, and those who've taken part in the conferences and other events! Make sure to follow the group's social media accounts if interested in any aspect of aviation.

Wow, just done a bit of a catch up on our follows and follow backs. (Waves!) If you're already following us, 'thank you'! If you're curious about what we do: we talk about aviation's various cultures, mostly at online and in-person conferences. And we'd like your input! -JDK @jdkightly.bsky.social

TODAY is the tenth anniversary of Aviation Cultures first event - a small, but high quality gathering and discussion. We're delighted Aviation Cultures is STILL going, and as strong as ever! Tomorrow we'll have a special announcement regarding forthcoming events... Stay Tuned!

In 10 day's time it'll be 10 years since the very first Aviation Cultures event took place on 27 February 2015 in Sydney! 🥳 The 10 years since has seen a significant number of conferences & other events, both in-person & online. We’d love to hear back from you, but first some background! 🧵1/

Wow! Over 500 followers. Welcome new friends. We post about all things aviation: history, archaeology, ideas about flight, its place in history and society. Posts by @tashheap.bsky.social & @jdkightly.bsky.social Website is here: aviationcultures.org #aviation #history #flight #aviationcultures

cartoon of the day

The next presentation is by Wayne Lusardi who will be discussing the Lake Huron Red Tails. #ICAAH2024

Our next speaker is Dr Lisa Daly - @planecrashgirl.bsky.social - whose presentation is titled Archaeology on a Dime: Aviation Archaeology on an Independent Researcher’s Budget. #ICAAH2024

Our next speaker is Dr Kristen Alexander - @kristenauthor.bsky.social - whose presentation is titled ‘His aircraft is his last resting place’: the affective archaeology and emotional heritage of Hudson A16-191. #ICAAH2024

One question that has been raised re #ICAAH2024 is whether presentations will be recorded. While we hope to share recordings of many presentations, approval is required from each presenter and stakeholder(s). A proceedings publication is currently planned.

The last presenter of our first panel was Jane Mitchell whose presentation was titled, Searching for the missing: An excavation of a PBY-5 Catalina in Espiritu Santo, Vanuatu. #ICAAH2024

The fourth presentation this morning, by Christopher Eck, is titled Building on Broken Wings, Recovered Souls: Photographic Depictions of the Most Common Crash Types to Aid in Archaeological Site Type Identification. #ICAAH2024

The next presentation, by Stephen Richey, is titled Aquatic Aircraft Crash Site Formation and Modification Factors and Processes Impacting Wreckage and Associated Human Remains and Material Evidence. #ICAAH2024

The next presentation, by Piotr Bojakowski, is titled Excavating Large, Dispersed Underwater Aircraft Crash Sites: A Case of WWII B-24 Bomber From Italy. #ICAAH2024

What a great morning. 2 panel sessions.11 speakers from 4 countries. Starting with an intro to our white paper to be discussed throughout. Next session starts a 0700UTC @avculturesconf.bsky.social #aviationarchaeology #aviation #archaeology