About the Aviation and Aerospace Archives Initiative (AAAI)
Welcome to the website of the Aviation and Aerospace Archives Initiative (AAAI). This project began in November 2018, when a group of archivists and others interested in the preservation of and access to Britain's archival records relating to the history of flight and the industry and technology around it, met at the Leonardo works, Yeovil.
The AAAI seeks to ensure that archives of aviation and aerospace in the United Kingdom are collected and preserved, made accessible, and their use facilitated. To this end it aims to
• Connect individuals and institutions with interests in aviation and aerospace archives, providing opportunities for mutual support and a forum for advice and knowledge sharing.
• Offer sound and comprehensible guidance on the good curation of archives, records and related material, including ensuring their accessibility.
• Disseminate intelligence about the nature, extent and location of relevant collections, including those at risk, through information gathering and surveying work.
• Promote aviation and aerospace archives and heritage to specialist and non-specialist audiences.
To achieve these aims, we will work with individuals (both professionals and volunteers), organisations and networks within the aviation heritage, archives, academic and other sectors, and will seek opportunities to initiate and support appropriate events and projects.
Participants and supporters
The Aviation and Aerospace Archives Initiative has been led by The National Archives and the National Aerospace Library/Royal Aeronautical Society.
Other participants to date include representatives of Aerospace Bristol, the Air Britain Trust, Aviation Heritage UK, BAE Systems, Brooklands Museum, the Business Archives Council, Leonardo, the RAF Museum and the Rochester Avionics Archive.