Archivist's Journal
Research Articles & Historical Analysis
Long-form research from our archivists and contributing historians. We explore the overlooked corners of British aviation, from forgotten seaplane bases to the engineering leaps that reshaped the skies.
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The Seaplane Stations Britain Forgot
Before runways dominated the landscape, Britain's coastline hosted a network of seaplane and flying-boat stations. This study reconstructs their operations from Admiralty records, station logs and surviving photographs, charting how marine aviation shaped early long-haul ambitions.
Drawing on material newly digitised by the archive, the article traces the rise and quiet decline of stations from the Solent to the Clyde, and their lasting influence on route planning.
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Recent Articles
New research published to the archive each month.
ENGINEERING
From Merlin to Olympus
How British aero-engine design progressed from the piston-driven Merlin to the supersonic Olympus, and what each leap demanded of the airframes around it.
Published: December 2025
INFRASTRUCTURE
Grass to Concrete
The wartime pressures that turned Britain's grass airfields into hardened all-weather aerodromes, and the civilian airports that inherited them.
Published: November 2025
NAVIGATION
Beams in the Dark
Radio beacon and beam-approach systems of the 1930s, and how they made scheduled night flying a practical reality across the British Isles.
Published: October 2025
POLICY
The Empire Air Mail Scheme
A re-examination of the ambitious 1930s scheme to carry all first-class mail across the Empire by air, and the flying boats it commissioned.
Published: September 2025
HERITAGE
Croydon: The Airport That Started It All
How London's first international airport pioneered air traffic control, terminal design and the very idea of commercial aviation before its closure in 1959.
Published: August 2025
DESIGN
The Racing Seaplanes of Supermarine
How the Schneider Trophy racers of the 1920s drove the aerodynamic advances that would later define a generation of British fighters.
Published: July 2025
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