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Dr. Lisa M. Daly, PhD

@planecrashgirl.bsky.social

2K followers 1.6K following 140 posts

Airplane archaeologist (NL focused, 1920s-1940s aviation mostly), researcher, author (fiction and non-fiction), cat lover, crafter, ballroom dance instructor, explorer, and all about all things Newfoundland and Labrador history, heritage, and culture.

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Dr. Lisa M. Daly, PhD @planecrashgirl.bsky.social · Apr 9

Happy to say that mine and Nelson Sherren's book, Their Sturdy Pride, is now available! Explore Nelson's history of RCAF Torbay (now #YYT), the archaeology of two #Newfoundland crash sites, and both of our work searching for the Oiseau Blanc on the Cape shore. #aviation
www.amazon.ca/dp/1774781395

The cover of a book. The background is red and across the middle is a picture of an aircraft in a snowy setting. Across the top, in white letters, reads: Their Sturdy Pride: RCAF Torbay History and Aviation Mysteries of Newfoundland and Labrador. Under the image, again in white, reads: Lisa M. Daly, PhD, Nelson J. Sherren, CD.

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Dr. Lisa M. Daly, PhD @planecrashgirl.bsky.social · 12d

Love it!

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Dr. Lisa M. Daly, PhD @planecrashgirl.bsky.social · 15d

Still reading East to the Dawn (been reading it at work on breaks, so slow going) and maybe these mysterious files will actually just be her letters to the Roosevelts and the plans made with with Navy. Some folks might be disappointed if it's just logistics talk!

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Dr. Lisa M. Daly, PhD @planecrashgirl.bsky.social · 15d

That is so neat! And a Bessie Coleman! The map from Newfoundland to Ireland is nice for Earhart. I kind of want one to bring to Trepassey and Harbour Grace!

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Dr. Lisa M. Daly, PhD @planecrashgirl.bsky.social · 15d

But what if those files point to exactly where her aircraft crashed? The grifters will have to "discover" some new mystery to sell. 🤦‍♀️

Honestly, I'll enjoy reading the radio logs, and would love to see more aviation history related files digitized for easier research.

This is just too much nonsense

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Reposted by Dr. Lisa M. Daly, PhD

Heritage NL @heritagenl.bsky.social · Jul 22

Youth Heritage Report 2025 Released

Young people in Newfoundland and Labrador are seeking greater professional-level employment opportunities in the heritage and cultural industries, according to a newly-released report. The study, co-authored by Heritage NL, the Association of NL Archives, and…

Youth Heritage Report 2025 Released

Young people in Newfoundland and Labrador are seeking greater professional-level employment opportunities in the heritage and cultural industries, according to a newly-released report. The study, co-authored by Heritage NL, the Association of NL Archives, and the Museum Association of NL, is based on a series of surveys, a youth-centred forum held in March of 2025, and suggestions from the province’s new Youth Heritage Committee.

heritagetomorrownl.wordpress.com

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Reposted by Dr. Lisa M. Daly, PhD

Newfoundland & Labrador Historical Society @nlhistorical.bsky.social · 25d

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Dr. Lisa M. Daly, PhD @planecrashgirl.bsky.social · 23d

I'm turning this presentation into a paper to be published this winter. Details soon.
The presentation about fire in St John's referenced below can be found in the current issue of NQ (Newfoundland Quarterly) as the @nlhistorical.bsky.social Aspects article. It's a great read.

Dr. Lisa M. Daly, PhD @planecrashgirl.bsky.social · May 2

Had a good session at @can-arch.bsky.social this morning, but had to rush home to help with a broken bathroom pipe.
The other presentations on Beothuk archaeology, fires and evidence for prostitution in St. John's, and an accidentally cemetery disturbance were all amazing. Great work being done.

A picture of a power point cover slide. The background is dark green with a light green band on the right. The title, in light yellow reads Harbour Buffett and the US Navy Hudson Bomber, The Impact of an Aicraft Crash on a Community (I really tried to avoid a pun, but couldn't figure out a better word). By Lisa M. Daly and Neil Burgess. Next to the names, to the left, is a picture of a piece of metal underwater mostly covered by silt.

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Dr. Lisa M. Daly, PhD @planecrashgirl.bsky.social · Aug 22

It's so hard to know. In some cases it seems like she wanted to be the centre of attention and would love the never-ending searches and being one of the most famous aviators ever, and then she writes how she doesn't want to be at the centre of things. Though Putnam pushed the fame aspect a lot.

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Dr. Lisa M. Daly, PhD @planecrashgirl.bsky.social · Aug 21

Looking at their website, they seem to be doing actual archaeology and recording non-famous wrecks. It will be interesting to see if their fourth attempt finds something. Their article on a Greek wreck looks really interesting and has a well-written proposal for archaeology, not wreckchasing.

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Reposted by Dr. Lisa M. Daly, PhD

Stephanie Kemmerer @doubtisthewayout.bsky.social · Jul 24

Happy Amelia Earhart Day!
Today we celebrate her achievements that echo through the generations.
✈️❤️

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Dr. Lisa M. Daly, PhD @planecrashgirl.bsky.social · Jul 20

I have enjoyed some of these "discoveries" like a note in error-riddled French from the Oiseu Blanc that washed up on a beach in the US.
I think so many want these mysteries solved and the aircraft found that conclusions will often be based on a rumour or flimsy evidence. It makes for a good story.

Dr. Lisa M. Daly, PhD @planecrashgirl.bsky.social · Jul 19

And shout-out to The Rooms and the Provincial Archives staff. I emailed last night after close asking for a while bunch of boxes to be pulled, then showed up just after opening and the boxes were ready and waiting for me. Thanks for making research that much easier!

Dr. Lisa M. Daly, PhD @planecrashgirl.bsky.social · Jul 19

I did find a report from 1933 that investigated stories of the remains of an aircraft and aviators found, and seemed to have no credence whatsoever. It was a rumour published by the international press. I'll have to look up the Press articles next to see what they said.

A copy of a dispatch reading: May 20, 1933. Sir. Referring to Dispatch No. 150 of the 6th May, from the Right Honourable the Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs, with respect to a report in the London Press of the 27th March, 1933, to the effect that two skeletons and the wreckage of an aeroplane had been found in the woods in a remote part of Newfoundland, I have the honor to enclose, in duplicate, copy of an item published in the column of the Evening Telegram, St. John's, on the 27th March, 1933, setting forth that there was no foundation whatever to the rumour which had recieved such wide circulation. I have the honour to be, sir, your excellency's obedient servant, Secretary of State.

Dr. Lisa M. Daly, PhD @planecrashgirl.bsky.social · Jul 19

Many of these communities no longer exist, but with this seach the only stories they found were those recorded in Harbour Grace.
This map is not in mine and Nelson Sherren's book, Their Sturdy Pride, but there is a lot more about the search for the Oiseau blanc (the White Bird).
a.co/d/508xMNh

Their Sturdy Pride: RCAF Torbay History and Aviation Mysteries of NL

Their Sturdy Pride: RCAF Torbay History and Aviation Mysteries of NL eBook : Daly, Lisa, Sherren, Nelson: Amazon.ca: Kindle Store

a.co

Dr. Lisa M. Daly, PhD @planecrashgirl.bsky.social · Jul 19

I found some writings regarding the Oiseau blanc and the search for Nungesser and Coli in Newfoundland. This map shows the ships that were asked to ask at every coastal stop about any sightings or information about the missing aviators (routes are the coloured markings).

A map of the island of Newfoundland from 1927. Along the coast, from Notre Dame Bay and all along the coast moving east, then south, and west along the south coast to Port aux Basque, there are colored lines indicating the ports of call for various ships who stopped at many of the communities along the coast asking about the missing aviators, Nungesser and Coli and the Oiseau Blanc.

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Dr. Lisa M. Daly, PhD @planecrashgirl.bsky.social · Jul 18

I only got to take a moment to watch this now. That was an really touching perspective. Taking her ambition and also acknowledging the poor planning to tell the story as a tragedy of a inspiration. 💙

Bob's Burgers has such great stories. I really have to catch up on the series.

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Dr. Lisa M. Daly, PhD @planecrashgirl.bsky.social · Jul 16

Oh, I am so much more excited now! The other book might get put down when this one comes. I'm just getting to her time in Trepassey so I'm interested to see how that is portrayed.

I'm also looking forward to following some of the source material Shapiro used for the book.

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Dr. Lisa M. Daly, PhD @planecrashgirl.bsky.social · Jul 16

Loved the clouds over the Cape Spear lighthouse yesterday. #NewfoundlandandLabrador

A picture that is mostly sky. The clouds fill the sky, but they are very light and the sky can be seen through much of the clouds. At the bottom of the picture is an old lighthouse. It's a short building with six dark windows on the visible side and a tower coming up from the middle of the building with a red and white striped dome. There is a white fence along the left side of the picture, and a couple of people visible.

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Dr. Lisa M. Daly, PhD @planecrashgirl.bsky.social · Jul 16

I just ordered it for myself this evening along with a few other books. I'm currently reading East to the Dawn and sounds like The Aviator and The Businessman will be an interesting change. No one can be as perfect as she is portrayed in East to the Dawn. I am hoping for a more honest biography.

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Dr. Lisa M. Daly, PhD @planecrashgirl.bsky.social · Jul 4

The amount of money spent on trying to find that poor woman would be able to fund so much actual research into women in aviation and aviation archaeology. It's a big ocean and a relatively tiny aircraft. Maybe she, like Frances Grayson, Elsie Makay, and many others aviatrixes, are just lost.

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Reposted by Dr. Lisa M. Daly, PhD

Dr. Paula R. Curtis @paularcurtis.bsky.social · Jun 26

If you're getting notifications from Academia(.)edu about AI versions of your papers now being podcasts, that's because the (predatory) platform has opted you into AI-enhanced outputs, which you can turn off in your Account Settings here.

A screencap of Academia.edu's Account Settings under the header "AI Settings" showing their AI-enhanced Outputs feature is automatically turned on with a green switch unless you turn it off and do your part to de-enshittify the internet.

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Dr. Lisa M. Daly, PhD @planecrashgirl.bsky.social · Jun 29

Thank you for sharing this. I have opted out.

Dr. Lisa M. Daly, PhD @planecrashgirl.bsky.social · Jun 24

This is about a helicopter rescue off Logy Bay in 1953. While this story does include RCAF Torbay (now St. John's International Airport) it isn't one included in mine and Nelon Sherren's book, Their Sturdy Pride, available through Engen Books.
Find the article here: planecrashgirl.ca/2017/06/24/l...

The 1953 Logy Bay Helicopter Rescue - Plane Crash Girl.ca

Also posted at the Logy Bay-Middle Cove-Outer Cove blog In the 1950s, helicopters were still a relatively new sight around Newfoundland and Labrador. The first helicopter rescue in Newfoundland was in...

planecrashgirl.ca

Dr. Lisa M. Daly, PhD @planecrashgirl.bsky.social · Jun 24

Throwback to when I worked at the The Logy Bay-Middle Cove-Outer Cove Museum, a community museum in NL, and wrote this article for their (now defunct) blog. I also included it on my own blog, which was lucky because it means I still have a copy of it to share!
planecrashgirl.ca/2017/06/24/l...

A black and white photo from a newspaper featuring a number of men on ice and snow. All of then men are searing hats of different styles, and all have different implements for traveling on ice, such a skis, ropes, and sticks/poles. They are part of the rescue effort trying to save men who were lost on the ice off Logy Bay, Newfoundland.

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Reposted by Dr. Lisa M. Daly, PhD

Stephanie Kemmerer @doubtisthewayout.bsky.social · Jun 18

Special thanks to @planecrashgirl.bsky.social for her insight on TIGHAR and thanks to @cultarchaeo.bsky.social for recommending her to me.

IntotheStewniverse @intothestewniverse.bsky.social · Jun 18

Amelia Earhart: Eye of the TIGHAR with @doubtisthewayout.bsky.social and @quacksanonymous.bsky.social at 8PM EST.

www.twitch.tv/intothestewn...

intothestewniverse Schedule - Twitch

Check out intothestewniverse stream schedule, and set reminders so you don’t miss out!

www.twitch.tv

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