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avculturesconf.bsky.social
Aviation Cultures Conference
@avculturesconf.bsky.social
1.1K followers 500 following 110 posts
A place where researchers and practitioners come together to share their knowledge and ideas of flight, and its place in history and society.

Posts by @tashheap.bsky.social and @jdkightly.bsky.social

aviationcultures.org
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Aviation Cultures Conference @avculturesconf.bsky.social · Jul 10
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
Reposted by Aviation Cultures Conference
flyingarchivist.bsky.social
This was fun. I'm looking forward to the second session, which begins at 2100 UK time.
November 8, 2025 at 12:35 PM
avculturesconf.bsky.social
So modest! In reality, Peter’s an exceptional font of wisdom - and the only ‘Emeritus’ we have in either session!
flyingarchivist.bsky.social Peter Elliott @flyingarchivist.bsky.social · 10d
Two sessions covering a variety of topics, presented by erudite speakers. And me.

I look forward to you seeing me there!
avculturesconf.bsky.social Aviation Cultures Conference @avculturesconf.bsky.social · 10d
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...
November 8, 2025 at 2:05 AM
avculturesconf.bsky.social
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...
November 8, 2025 at 1:07 AM
Reposted by Aviation Cultures Conference
danellin.bsky.social
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
Aviation Cultures Spotlight Logbooks and AvDocs logo. Page from Len Dorricott's log book showing operations in G George and two newspaper cuttings about the aircraft.
November 7, 2025 at 1:58 PM
avculturesconf.bsky.social
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...
A sharp dressed man smiles at the camera, while holding a magnifying glass and looking at a document. It's Dr Peter Hobbins, who'll be presenting ‘Legal eagles: using legal sources to cross-examine aviation history.’ A 1940s bathing beauty sits in the lap of a pilot in this cartoon. Her ribbon reads 'Miss Anoxia'. Via Ester Aube, who will present on: ‘Aircraft Technical Documentation: Military Organizational Systems & Their Development During WWII.‘ Maybe the content won't be as dry as the title might suggest?
November 6, 2025 at 3:17 AM
Reposted by Aviation Cultures Conference
flyingarchivist.bsky.social
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).
November 3, 2025 at 11:15 AM
avculturesconf.bsky.social
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...
Two men grinning for the camera in front of a bookshelf. Text '8 November 2025 Online on Zoom Aviation Cultures Spotlight Logbooks & AvDocs'.
November 3, 2025 at 10:09 AM
avculturesconf.bsky.social
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
Poster for the Logbooks & AvDocs free online Spotlight event at Aviation Cultures on 8 November.
October 7, 2025 at 11:10 AM
avculturesconf.bsky.social
@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
Print the Legend – Aviation Cultures
aviationcultures.org
October 3, 2025 at 6:04 AM
avculturesconf.bsky.social
Going to be worth your time! @danellin.bsky.social shares great research.
danellin.bsky.social Dan Ellin @danellin.bsky.social · Sep 25
I'm giving a talk "Penguins and Chop Girls: Remembering RAF Bomber Command ground personnel 1939-45" Monday 6th October 2025 at 6.15pm, @uolhumanities.bsky.social Brayford campus (room TBC). #WW2 #History @nmtdambusters.bsky.social cityoflincolnbranchha.wordpress.com/.../branch.../
Historical Association Lincoln Branch ‘Penguins and Chop Girls: Remembering RAF Bomber Command ground personnel 1939 -1945’ For every member of aircrew who flew a bomber aircraft in RAF Bomber Command there were up to ten men and women who served in supporting roles. Their diverse trades included aircraft fitters and mechanics, WAAF clerks, parachute packers and drivers, and the lowly AC2 who emptied the latrines and drove the sanitary truck. ‘Penguins’, as flightless ground personnel were sometimes called, were marginalised in the RAF, and the women of the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF), were frequently reduced to sexual objects. Women who had dated an airman who failed to return were shunned as bad omens or ‘chop girls.’ However, without the effort of all these personnel, the bombing campaigns would not have got off the ground. Using published and unpublished testimonies including oral histories recorded for the IBCC Digital Archive, Dan examines the lives of ground personnel on operational bomber stations. Monday 6th October 2025 at 6.15pm, University of Lincoln’s Brayford campus (room TBC). Refreshments before and questions afterwards. QR code and images of WAAFs
September 25, 2025 at 7:49 AM
avculturesconf.bsky.social
🛩️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
A man sitting in the cockput of an old aeroplane typing on a typewriter
September 10, 2025 at 2:14 AM
avculturesconf.bsky.social
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...
Poster for 'Logbooks & Avdocs' with 'Aviation Cultures Spotlight' 8 November 2025, Online on Zoom' text.
August 29, 2025 at 4:59 AM
avculturesconf.bsky.social
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...
Two men, JDK, left and Phil Vabre, right, mug for the camera with exaggerated expressions as they look at a couple of old aviation manuals, in front of a bookcase. Text reads: '8 November 2025, Online on Zoom, Logbooks & AvDocs, Aviation Cultures Spotlight'.
August 8, 2025 at 8:15 AM
Reposted by Aviation Cultures Conference
mlobelart.bsky.social
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
Screen grab from website Academia.edu, with message "An AI created a podcast of your paper," the label "Private to you," and a button to listen to the podcast
June 24, 2025 at 12:39 PM
avculturesconf.bsky.social
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
Three posterettes, one with two men (James (JDK) and Phil over reacting to 'Logbooks & AvDocs' in front of a bookcase, and dated 8 November 2025. Below is a man on a typewriter sitting in an aeroplane cockpit, with the title 'Print the Legend' and 27-28 February 2026. Last is the previously seen poster for the full Aviation Conferences Mk.VIII Conference with the Canadian Aviation Historical Society at the KF Centre for Excellence in Kelowna, Canada, and online, 17-20 June 2026.
August 1, 2025 at 7:26 AM
avculturesconf.bsky.social
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
jdkightly.bsky.social James D Kightly @jdkightly.bsky.social · Jul 17
Thought I’d do a mildly curated #Shelfie. Most of these books sit here in a special spot because their covers are, well, simple but appealing. A couple are old (in aviation terms). One pre-WWI edition, but most are 1920s-30s. There’s a lot of IYKYK, happy to answer any questions for the fun of it!
A shelf of hardback books mostly without dust jackets. Most are one plain colour. A number of the titles are aviation classic titles. There’s a model figure with a scale model Hawker Hart on a stand in the middle and an aircraft image on a poster in the far background.
July 17, 2025 at 12:45 PM
avculturesconf.bsky.social
Without doubt one of the world's most original Spitfires, still in its (later) wartime paint. With a remarkable war career. -JDK
curatorian.bsky.social Ian Kikuchi @curatorian.bsky.social · Jul 11
Today in 1940, IWM's #SpitfireR6915 makes its first flight at Eastleigh, near Southampton, with test pilot George Pickering at the controls. Its Battle of Britain combat service, at the hands of 13 pilots, lie ahead of it. #AvHist #SWW #WW2 #OTD
Spitfire R6915 on display at #IWMLondon
July 11, 2025 at 12:25 PM
Reposted by Aviation Cultures Conference
tashheap.bsky.social
I probably should have shared this days ago - my first @theconversation.com article ever!

theconversation.com/speculation-...
Speculation about the cause of Air India crash is rife. An aviation expert explains why it’s a problem
As history has shown, publicly speculating about a disaster when there is so little evidence available is more than just unhelpful.
theconversation.com
June 17, 2025 at 8:39 AM
Reposted by Aviation Cultures Conference
edwardsoye.bsky.social
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 📝
avculturesconf.bsky.social Aviation Cultures Conference @avculturesconf.bsky.social · Jul 10
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
July 10, 2025 at 1:44 AM
avculturesconf.bsky.social
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
July 10, 2025 at 1:01 AM
avculturesconf.bsky.social
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.
a man with curly hair and a mustache is saying hello
ALT: a man with curly hair and a mustache is saying hello
media.tenor.com
July 8, 2025 at 11:47 AM
Reposted by Aviation Cultures Conference
jdkightly.bsky.social
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
Boomerang Story
Picking up several themes of the Aviation Cultures Conference, this five minute video looks at some unique aspects of the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation Boomerang…
vimeo.com
May 29, 2025 at 7:00 AM
Reposted by Aviation Cultures Conference
sarahpyke.bsky.social
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!
A pile of books on a red background with a QR code with white text which reads: Thinking of the Children: Book Bans, Censorship and Literature for Young People. It's a CFP for an online conference hosted by the University of Münster, 11-12 February 2026. For the full CFP, an easier to read version is available at bit.ly/CFPThinkingOfTheChildren
June 2, 2025 at 7:36 PM
Reposted by Aviation Cultures Conference
dfeds.bsky.social
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.
March 20, 2025 at 4:42 PM
avculturesconf.bsky.social
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
Bigstuff2025 - skills and machines
Skills and machines - a living partnership. The international Big Stuff Conference will take place in Belgium from October 14th to 17th, 2025.
bigstuff2025.info
March 11, 2025 at 11:18 AM