Education Through Aviation - 2012/05

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152 Model Aviation MAY 2012 www.ModelAviation.com
Frank Lloyd Wright
(born Frank Lincoln
Wright, June 8,
1867-April 9, 1959)
was an American
architect, interior
designer, writer,
and educator, who
designed more than
1,000 structures and completed 500 works.
Wright believed in designing structures
that were in harmony with humanity and
its environment—a philosophy he called
organic architecture. This philosophy
was best exemplifi ed by his design for
Fallingwater (1935), which has been
called “the best all-time work of American
architecture.”
Wright was a leader of the Prairie
School movement of architecture and
developed the concept of the Usonian
home, his unique vision for urban planning
in the United States.
Already well-known during his lifetime,
Wright was recognized in 1991 by the
American Institute of Architects as the
greatest American architect of all time.
The television set, commercially
available since the late 1920s, has become
commonplace in homes, businesses, and
institutions, particularly as a vehicle for
advertising, a source of entertainment, and
news.
Since the 1970s, the availability of
video cassettes, laser discs, DVDs, and
now Blu-ray discs, has resulted in the
television set frequently being used for
viewing recorded, as well as broadcast,
material.
In recent years Internet television has
seen the rise of television available via the
Internet on sites such as iPlayer and Hulu.
Wright’s comment that “TV is chewing
gum for the eyes” had to be made before
1959, the year of his passing. Television as
we know it today was then only a dream
for a few. I think his comment is directed
at mindless activity: people chew gum to
have something in their mouth to do, and
watch TV so their eyes have something to
do.
Watching the television is such an
ingrained part of our culture that many
of our families have multiple sets in the
home, and lean on it as a medium for
everything—laughter, entertainment,
information, and yes, child rearing.
We’ve experienced many young
students unable to use a ruler. That’s a
good sign that using a #11 X-Acto blade
and CA is out of the question.
What does all of this mean? It means
that for a long, long time, it’s been
apparent to the brightest among us that
the two-dimensional world held little
future, especially in terms of education.
It’s the three-dimensional world, the
actual making and creating, the hands-on
experience, and the trial and error that will
spur true, lifelong learning.
What to do? Build a model. Build
one with a
child. Make
something.
Make
something with
a child. Build
something.
Build anything
with a child. It’s
amazing how
much fun they
have using tools
and their hands.
It’s a new
adventure for
many of them.
Many are not
fortunate enough
to have the
dad you and I
probably had
who did just that
with us.
Building
models has been
important to a
lot of people
for quite some
time. Read the
letter from the
Chief of Naval
Air Training,
Fitzhugh Lee.
He points out
the professional
and personal
qualities derived
from building
models. I’m
pretty sure a lot of that hasn’t changed.
I still have all of my great uncle’s,
grandfather’s, and father’s tools. They
aren’t used much at all anymore, just
carefully stored, but I love tools and my
kids have learned to love and respect tools
and what you can do with them.
I sure hope that my boys take care of my
tools for me someday. Those of you who
read this column regularly know that I’m a
big fan of famous quotes and sayings. One
of the fi rst ones that my kids learned is the
classic: “How do you know when the job if
fi nished? When all the tools are put away.”
We still laugh about it and the older
ones are thanking me for it. Better yet,
they appreciate making things and living
happily in the three-dimensional world.
Try it! Everyone will be better for it.
Then, go fl y it!
Fly and have fun!
EDUCATION THROUGH AVIATION by Bill Pritchett, Education Director
“TV is chewing gum for the
eyes.” —Frank Lloyd Wright
billp@modelaircraft .org
Letter from Model Airplane News, October 1963.