School project need some help
 

This is indeed a bizarre post. As some of you might know I am pursuing a non-aviation degree in Humanities. I have a project coming up for my American Studies class in which I have to collect an item of folklore. For those who are not familiar with the term let me define it. Folklore is a set of traditions/beliefs that is passed on from generation to generation orally and informally (like folk tales, art, remedies, architecture etc.) Anyway I live in central PA and there are so many things I could do here. But since my interest is in aviation I was considering of visiting a place like the Piper Aviation Museum in Lock Haven (in terms of aircraft designs that is passed on traditionally???). I could also try a local FBO. As I have no flying experience, I am not familiar with any traditions that is passed on orally and informally in the aviation world. I would certainly appriciate anything you professionals, CFI's, or student pilots has to offer. thanks!!!

This may not be what you're looking for, but D.B. Cooper comes to mind. Google him to check it out.

Do not know if this is what you are looking for but we have a tradition in aviation when a student has his/her first solo flight the instructor will cut the back of the student's shirt off when they return. The instructor will then usually draw a picture or write anote on the shirt for the student to keep.

This tradition comes from back when planes had 1-2 seating, meaning instead of sitting side by side with the instructor, the student would sit in the single front seat and the instructor would sit behind them in the single back seat. Whenever the instructor would need to talk to the student in flight he would have to get their attention to put the ear piece next to their ear to listen, they would do this by pulling on the back of their shirt tail to get their attention. So now that they soloed they do not need a shirt tail anymore for the instructor so it is cut off.

That is but one version of the story.
I don't think anybody really knows for certain how the tradition got started.

Well that version rocks!:D

Hm... Could the Bermuda triangle be more along the lines of what you are looking for? I know it was more of a nautical myth (Or whatever you want to call it) but I'm pretty sure I've heard a lot of references to airplanes going down and having strange occurrences within it.

And on that note... How come nobody ever mentions the Bermuda triangle anymore? Seems like it was a pretty big deal in the 80's and 90's (Not too sure about previous decades).

Maybe the advent of GPS? That's kinda what I thought.

Yeah, that's kind of what I assumed but you know what they say about assumptions ;)

Hmmm, aviation items of folklore? It should be easy for you to find a bucket of prop wash and 50 feet of flight line.

While you're doing that, I could use a couple of liters of anti-skid.

nevermind...there's an art fest thing going on i will go check that out. i just thought it'd be interesting to do something in aviation.

PearlPilot you've quite a challenge because modern societies are fast moving in general and folklore is not something they tend to foster or promote. The forming of folklore is associated with primitive societies more than modern ones because in simple society it serves as a way to educate, entertain, and regulate. We're talking about simple agrarian societies. Folklore makes an otherwise routine thing more exciting. In simple societies there is no media pushing OJ or parade of new products. Excitement is a scarce commodity, and one generation tends to lead the same life as the next one.

Human beings have universal needs that folklore serves, so stick with that theme. Even in modern society values, events, and relationships need to be secured. Aviation is a fast-changing topic that experiences a rapid pace of change that tends to minimize cultural traditions. But if you look hard enough you will find traditions like those folklore addresses.

I would suggest looking at the beginnings of folkloric traditions in the aviation mileau rather than looking for mature traditions because there aren't very many. You could draw connections between challenges experienced within the aviation community and the emergence of behavioral patterns, stories, or music in that society. You are going to have to do some thinking because there is not a long history or high degree of folkloric tradition connected to aviation.

How about how explaining the system of "ace" kill status that developed during the world wars in military aviation, and how the system contributes to a verbally passed system of values among aviators and the general public.

Explain how the emergence of modern aviation contributed to the advent of science fiction as a popular genre and what themes it contains.

Explain how the collective public ego is based on aviation-derived ideals and abilities.

Whatever your thesis, assignments like this one illustrate that a liberal arts education encourages thinking about the world while trying to remain objective and make use of accepted/enlightened theories. Courses like this make one look at the world in a fresh way that is revealing and ultimately liberating if you take it seriously. Let me know what your thesis is if you pursue it. People spend thier whole lives studying folklore, I have known one or two. It seems like an abstract topic but truth is ultimately never abstract.