Project facts

Project coordinator: GPLA - Arc'Antique (AA), Nantes (FRANCE)
Project consortium: GPLA - Arc'Antique (AA), Nantes (FRANCE); University of Ferrara, Ferrara (ITALY); Czech Technical University in Prague, Prague (CZECH REPUBLIC); CNRS - Centre d'élaboration de matériaux et d'études structurales, Toulouse (FRANCE); University of Bologna, Bologna (ITALY).
Funding bodies: JPI CH
Subject areas: Archaeology, Conservation, Heritage Management, History, Materials, Objects, Preventive conservation, Tangible Heritage, Technologies - Scientific processes
Budget: 1,298,355 € (753,648 €)

Presentation

The Second World War (WWII) is often considered the golden age of military aviation, but this air war has left a large number of remains on European soil and in the sea: this massive commitment has caused considerable human and material losses.

Even if WWII aircraft heritage has an undeniable historical and emotional value for Europeans, only recently these remains have officially entered the field of archaeology and cultural heritage conservation. Their presence in national museums is limited. They are often cared by numerous volunteers and associations.

However, this discovery of airplane wreck is challenging from several points of view: its composition and materials; its history; its legal statutes; its size and conditions.

PROCRAFT will face these challenges by connecting the multiple actors of the operational chain from recovery to exhibition. Scientists and associated partners (museums, associations, conservators, State representatives, mediators) from Italy, Czech Republic, and France representing all the actors in this heritage chain will pool and benefit from their joint expertise and capabilities.

Our purpose is to create innovative procedures and solutions for each key step in aircraft conservation:

- tailored techniques of conservation-restoration;

- smart coatings for outdoor protection respecting the requirements of cultural heritage safeguard;

- innovative solutions for preventive conservation in confined or semi-confined environments;

- guidelines for AI alloys restoration and conservation for non-professional actors.

 

Impacts & Results

The results of the project will:

- Enhance and share knowledge about conservation of WWII aircraft, focusing particularly on the conservation of aluminum (AI) alloy components;

- Contribute to its preservation;

- Promote its dissemination and presentation to the public.

 

Banner: "Avro 694 Lincoln B.2 G-APRJ, British Historic Aircraft Museum, Southend, UK, 09 May 1967(2)" by goring1941 is licensed with CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.