A little perspective from Frank Zaic

I read the impenetrable prose of Paul Poberezny (EAA)for years, trying to figure out just what he was responding to. I would only get answers in other publications. Same deal with the BMW motorcyle club, I had to read the mag of the competing club to get the story behind the story. But now we have net forums and the background information can be filtered out in a matter of days, with some effort and a pound of salt. However, the strength and fury of the emotions surrounding hobby politics still suprised me, until I read this from Frank, in response to a letter dated Dec 1936: "Model building is a very fine hobby, but it should not interfere with the normal growth of personality. It is undoubtedly greatly beneficial in stimulating concentrated thinking, self reliance....but if you ...bury yourself in model work, part of you never grows up and somehow one has to make a greater effort later on to carve a place in the social world. It is no fun being a "social outcast" as our civilization is based on the mutual interchange of friendliness." Don

>(snip) but if you ...bury yourself in
>model work, part of you never grows up and somehow one has
>to make a greater effort later on to carve a place in the
>social world.(snip)

I always subscribed to the following axiom:

"Growing old is mandatory; growing up is optional."

Len:

Growing wiser is also optional---or so my wife tells me!

I have been imeresed in modeling most of my life. So, according to Mr. Zaic I must be socially retarded. I'll try to get out more Frank.

LAST EDITED ON Sep-30-04 AT 12:57 PM (CDT)
 
I take the reference to Paul Poberezny as one that has so imersed himself in his hobby that he cannot express himself on a social level? Same with the BMW pub? It also appears to me that there is an equating of the current PAMPA rage with the inability of some persons to socially relate to the "normal" masses.

While I've always respected Frank Zaic it seems to me that he was a patent draftsman rather then a psycho-analyst, that hardly qualifies him to make factual statements about such things.

I am passionate about my hobbies, coincidentally model airplanes and motorcycles. I have been involved most of my life including childhood years where I built model airplanes while the rest of the neighborhood kids played baseball. I took the typical break when girls and fast cars lured me away but soon found a way to combine them all and even managed to get my girlfreind to chase my free flights. This was done by request, not the demand of some obsessed nut case, hardly social incompetence. To imply that someone that has enjoyed a lifetime activity is somehow not grown up is so far off base. If it were true then what about baseball players, lifetime dedication makes them pros, same with football, soccer, chess, debate. What is a normal acceptable activity for the normal growth and development of "proper" social skills? Bet Frank couldn't answer that one.

Passion is not a sign of imaturity, it is quite the opposite. Passion sometimes causes us to do things that may be better done by other means, but is doesn't make us social bumblers. What seems to implied is that had certain passionate modelers had stuck their heads out of the shop more often maybe they wouldn't see things in such a distorted way as to confuse the normal amoung us with their rantings. I can say that, simply put, when you're passionate about something you don't take it lightly when it is or seems to be threatened, no matter what it is. As a motorcyclist and model airplane hobbiest I have tried endlessly to explain what it is that draws me and keeps me involved in those activities, but to those that don't do it, it cannot be fully understood. Like the Jeep bumper sticker that says something like "If I have to explain you wouldn't understand". I believe that is happening within our hobby alone between the competitive flyers and the noncompetitive flyers. The competitors can partially understand their counterparts because we all started out flying for fun. But the strickly noncompetitive flyers cannot understand the passion of their counterparts. This in itself is not terrible, but the implication that those who are passionate are wrong is.

Hi Randy. I see your point, but have you ever met any dedicated model railroaders?? ha ha. Now there are some real hermits. My wife accused me of that after a month long session of building my layout.

Finally, an explanation for my behavior.

In reference to the other publications, I wasn't holding them out as examples of "social outcasts", just contrasting them to how it is today with more open governance. Or is it any different at EAA? Do they still mail out proxies that give the Pobereznies a lifetime franchise? Is the board still packed with local Wisconsin cronies? Have you ever seen just one letter in Sport Aviation questioning the above situation? Lets be grateful we have open elections. If you don't agree with John, vote him out. Frank said nothing negative (or anything else)about passion in the letter, he was worried that his correspondent would allow his passion to run rampant; to "bury yourself" in the hobby. And "social outcast" is a bit strong, pre-war letters can be both blunt and naieve. That's why they're interesting. I just ordered the book "Speaking Frankly" to see what else he has to say. Now that I think of it, wasn't there an old picture of Frank being presented with an award this year in Flying Models? Or somewhere? B+W photo, Frank at home in Guatemala, two guys had flown down to present the award. Is Frank still with us? Don

Frank is indeed still among the living, still in Guatemala with his wife of many years.

LAST EDITED ON Jan-25-05 AT 10:52 AM (CST)
 
geeezzzz and Ive spent thousands of dollars at the doctors office trying to figure out what was wrong all these yrs--

An old Industrial Psych prof of mine had a favorite term for folks like some of us...

"Introverted towards people, extroverted towards machines".

But there are plenty of "people persons" in our hobby, too.

"Industrial Psychology". (Mechanical sensitivity?) At any rate, "I've fallen in, and don't wanna come out!"

"Psychology is 'what's wrong with everybody'." This was an observation I made as a Freshman at a San Jose State party which was overrun with Psyche 1 majors. (1959. McCoy .35. Sport flier.)

"Normal" people do not succeed in creating institutions like the EAA and PAMPA.

BTW, Paul and Audrey Poberezny are sweet, kind, and friendly people. Hardly social reprobates. They're just airplane people. My favorite kind of folks.