Neither the acting nor the writing would win an Academy Award.
"Well gosh, Wilbur, how come you get to be interviewed? I'm the one who flew it!" pouts a blond middle-school student with magic-marker facial hair.
"Hey. Orville. Who's older?" retorts his "brother," a lanky, brown-haired 13-year-old.
"You are."
"So who do you think is smarter?"
Orville shuffles his feet and looks downcast.
"You. I guess," he mumbles.
Wilbur goes on to report on the wing warping characteristics and engine performance of the original Wright Flyer aircraft to a local "newspaperman," played by another self-conscious 13-year-old.
So, okay. It's not Shakespeare. Or even historically accurate, aside from the airplane facts. But I laugh anyway. Not only because it offers such a clear window to a 13-year-old's reality of sibling interaction, but because it's just so wonderful to see kids enthusiastic enough about airplanes to actually write and perform a skit like this.
The actors in front of me are part of a middle-school team from Seattle, Washington, competing for the regional title in the Experimental Aircraft Association-sponsored "Wild Blue Wonders" program. Wild Blue Wonders is a year-long school program, available around the country, that's designed to teach young people about airplanes and flying and help them get more involved in the aviation community.
Over the course of several months, the kids learn basic facts and information about aeronautics, airplanes and aviation history. They learn how to flight plan and fly flights on Microsoft's Flight Simulator software. They build and fly balsa wood and paper gliders, and they compile logbooks that outline their activities, team mission statements, and goals. They visit local airports and air museums, and sometimes even get rides in actual airplanes. And each team also writes a short skit designed to educate the audience about aeronautics and some important event in aviation history.
At the end of the school year, teams from each area gather for day-long competitions to determine the regional champions. There are no fewer than 11 five-person teams competing at Seattle's Museum of Flight today, and if the tension in the room is so thick it's palpable, it's because there's a lot at stake. For the prize here is more than just a trophy. The winning team receives an all-expense-paid trip to compete in the national Wild Blue Wonders competition-at the EAA's AirVenture fly-in convention in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
