I have visited 341 sites, the majority on high ground which since the enactment of CROW Act 2000 (some bits of which I have a serious disagreement with but that’s not got anything to do with aircraft, more things with a green oval that come from Solihul, I own one!) increasingly fall within access land (though the 57 in Scotland fall under differnt access laws) and have only twice encountered a landowner at a site on private (non-access) land that has said no.

Yes there are sites that people may be inclined to technically tresspass to get to, pre-CROW Act the Forest of Bowland (~200 Sq Miles of heather moor? some 8-9 findable sites) was out of bounds because of a certain land owning Duke but that never seemed to stop anyone, mainly due the sites being on heather moorland.

As for the web sites that clearly show trespass, post the links to the particular pages here, I am sure for the purpose of the exercise the webmasters will not delete them.

Of the digs I have been involved in (all low ground) no pressure was put on landowners, even in a case where we were fairly sure the landowner had breached the PMRA 1986 himself and we could have told him that, we said we respect your views and hope to be able to return in the future if circumstances change.

I have to re-iterate what JC said, BAAC and its member groups are not calling for a relaxation of the law, the law has been applied the same since it was introduced, what has cahnged are the supplimentary regulations written by unaccountable civil servants. It is these that there are calls to tone down or in some cases get rid of. They wouldn’t be a problem for a commerical set up with paid lawyers but individuals carrying out research, locating sites (don’t for a minute under estimate the amount of time that can take) and where appropriate carrying out recoveries the regulations get in the way of forward progress. If interpretted literally the very act of stepping up on a site is illegal.

(2) A person contravenes this subsection in relation to any remains—
(a) if he tampers with, damages, moves, removes or unearths the
remains;
(b) if he enters any hatch or other opening in any of the remains which
enclose any part of the interior of an aircraft or vessel; or
(c) if he causes or permits any other person to do anything falling within
paragraph (a) or (b) above.

The two highlighted bits are of interest, tampers with can be taken to simply picking a piece up to look at it, for instance you see a part number and want to confim what it is off, moves is a very broad term, a person (average is what 150lb) walking on uneven / unconsolidated ground typical of a site where an aircraft has burned causes that ground to move leaving foot prints, that will move very small pieces. Also in picking up an item to look at it you have moved it. Oh dear three breaches.

No offence taken over you calling it aviation digging, it isn’t archaeology, though to form a group you need a reasonable title. Bunch of blokes on a rainy saturday in a field doesn’t quite as good.