Air-Britain, traditionally sub-titled "The International Association of Aviation Enthusiasts", is a non-profit

aviation Aviation includes the activities surrounding mechanical flight and the aircraft industry. ''Aircraft'' includes fixed-wing and rotary-wing types, morphable wings, wing-less lifting bodies, as well as lighter-than-air craft such as hot air ...

society founded in July 1948. As from 2015, it is constituted as a British charitable trust and book publisher.

History

Air-Britain was formed in 1948 as an amateur association of aviation enthusiasts. In April 1968, it was incorporated into a company limited by guarantee, Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. On 16 April 2015, the status of Air-Britain changed from a

Private company limited by guarantee In British, Australian, Bermudian, Hong Kong and Irish company law (and previously New Zealand), a company limited by guarantee (CLG) is a type of corporation used primarily (but not exclusively) for non-profit organisations that require legal pe ...

, in the form of Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd, to a British charity, in the form of Air-Britain Trust Ltd. Air-Britain organised an annual international aircraft recognition contest that started with an event in September 1961, for all comers, and attracted applications from individuals and teams from various sources such as

Royal Observer Corps The Royal Observer Corps (ROC) was a civil defence organisation intended for the visual detection, identification, tracking and reporting of aircraft over Great Britain. It operated in the United Kingdom between 29 October 1925 and 31 December ...

(ROC),

Air Training Corps The Air Training Corps (ATC) is a British volunteer-military youth organisation. They are sponsored by the Ministry of Defence and the Royal Air Force. The majority of staff are volunteers, and some are paid for full-time work – including C ...

(ATC), and Air-Britain regional branches. The annual aircraft recognition contest was discontinued after the 48th event held at

Royal Air Force Museum London The Royal Air Force Museum London (also commonly known as the RAF Museum) is located on the former Hendon Aerodrome. It includes five buildings and hangars showing the history of aviation and the Royal Air Force. It is part of the Royal Air Fo ...

on 21 November 2009.

Activities

With over 3,000 members worldwide, Air-Britain publishes books about worldwide

civilian Civilians under international humanitarian law are "persons who are not members of the armed forces" and they are not "combatants if they carry arms openly and respect the laws and customs of war". It is slightly different from a non-combatant, b ...

and

military aviation Military aviation comprises military aircraft and other flying machines for the purposes of conducting or enabling aerial warfare, including national airlift ( air cargo) capacity to provide logistical supply to forces stationed in a war the ...

, that are sold via bookshops,

air show An air show (or airshow, air fair, air tattoo) is a public event where aircraft are exhibited. They often include aerobatics demonstrations, without they are called "static air shows" with aircraft parked on the ground. The largest air show m ...

stands, mail order and via a secure sales website. Two regular journals are published, with coverage of both current and historical

themes.Official website
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Journals

:''Aviation World'' (all aviation) - quarterly :''Air-Britain News'' (current aviation) - monthly :''eABN'' (current aviation) - monthly (electronic magazine version of Air-Britain News)Pocketmags
/ref>

Events organised

Air-Britain periodically organises events such as international aircraft

fly-in A fly-in is a pre-arranged gathering of aircraft, pilots and passengers for recreational and social purposes. Fly-ins may be formally or informally organised, members of the public may or may not be invited, the gathering may be at an airport o ...

Defunct publications

Archived scans of many journals and books are progressively being made available as PDF files on CDs. :''Archive'' (historical civil aviation), 1980 - Dec 2017 (absorbed into Aviation World) :''Aeromilitaria'' (historical military aviation), 1975 - Dec 2017 (absorbed into Aviation World) :''British Civil Register News'', 1948 - Jun 1953 (renamed British Civil Aviation News) :''British Military Serial Numbers'', 1950 - Jul 1954 (renamed British Military Aviation News) :''Overseas Civil Register News'', 1952 - 1957 :''British Civil Aviation News'', Jul 1953 - Dec 1965 (absorbed into Air-Britain Digest) :''Overseas Airline News'', Jul 1953 - Dec 1963 (absorbed into Air-Britain Digest) :''British Military Aviation News'', Aug 1954 - Dec 1963 (absorbed into Air-Britain Digest and Aeromilitaria) :''Commonwealth Aviation News'', Jan 1958 - May 1961 (absorbed into Air-Britain Digest) :''European Aviation News'', Jan 1958 - Dec 1963 (absorbed into Air-Britain Digest) :''Aircraft Movements Review'', May 1959 - Dec 1963 (absorbed into Air-Britain Digest) :''Air-Britain Digest'', 1948 - Dec 2002 (renamed Air-Britain Aviation World)

References

{{reflist

External links

*Main website. http://air-britain.com/web/ *Sales website. http://www.air-britain.co.uk *ABPIC - a photographic images website accessible to all comers for image uploads and downloads. http://www.abpic.co.uk *AB-IX - members-only e-mail forum for information exchange. https://groups.io/g/AB-IX *Air-Britain Information Exchange - Researchers' Corner. http://www.ab-ix.co.uk/ *Air-Britain Message Board. http://air-britain.freeforums.net/ *Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/airbritain/ Charities based in Kent History of aviation Educational charities based in the United Kingdom