Registration is now open for the 2011 edition of TIGHAR’s popular Field School in Aviation Archaeology. In a day of introductory classroom work followed by four days in the field, participants will learn the principles and basic techniques for finding, examining, and evaluating historic crash sites. Completion of the Field School is a requirement to be eligible for selection for TIGHAR expedition teams.

The subject aircraft for the 2011 Field School will be the historic Douglas B-23 “Dragon” wreck at Loon Lake in the Payette National Forest in northern Idaho. The “Lady of the Lake” remains the most intact WWII wreck surviving in the contiguous U.S. despite the depredations of vandals and forest fires. We have surveyed the site twice before, in 2000 and 2009. The work done by the 2011 Field School will be a valuable addition to TIGHAR’s on-going monitoring of this classic preserved-in-situ wreck.

The field school is designed for participants who want to have a solid understanding of the when, why, and how of terrestrial aviation archaeology and the heritage preservation that goes with it. We will use a grid mapping method as established in previous years, and GPS will be used for point reference. Various technology applications, excavation strategies, the basics of stratigraphic profile drawing, and field recording will be emphasized. The finds analysis, of course, will be highly airplane oriented and a parts identification component will be stressed.

Lectures will be conducted on a regular basis on various aspects of archaeological theory, excavation practice and analyses, as well as heritage management and site monitoring. We strive to give students the best instruction in theory vs practice.

At the end of this field course, the students should:

1. Understand archaeological research designs and their impacts on field investigations
2. Have competence in field survey, excavation and documentation methods (including basic mapping, line-level, stratigraphic profiling, and excavation techniques)
3. Understand basic site formation and site disturbance factors
4. Gain experience in field survey and working in remote settings
5. Develop a working knowledge of metal detecting and GPS use
6. Have an understanding and appreciation of heritage sites and public-use archaeology sites

Note: The Field School involves strenuous outdoor activity.It’s a five-mile hike from the trailhead to the wreck site on a good, but occasionally steep, trail. An outfitter will use mules to transport heavy gear and will provide meals on site, but participants will pack in their own tents and personal gear.

The dates for the 2011 Field School are Wednesday August 3rd through Sunday August 7th. We’ll assemble at Boise International Airport at 1 p.m. on August 3rd for the 2.5 hour drive to the hotel in McCall, ID. In McCall we’ll do some initial classroom work and have a chance to pick up last minute personal items. On Thursday morning we’ll drive to the trailhead, hike to the site, set up camp and get to work. On Sunday morning we’ll break camp, hike out, and drive to Boise. For those who need to fly out on Sunday night we’ll have you back at the airport by 4 p.m.

Full tuition of $2,000 includes:

• All instruction
• Transfers from Boise International Airport to the hotel in McCall and from the hotel to and from the Loon Lake trailhead
• Hotel in McCall (excluding meals)
• All outfitter support and meals in the field

For more information or to register contact TIGHAR at http://tighar.org/Projects/Histpres/courses/courseshome.htm