Tuskegee Airmen – 3D Design Challenge

The Udvar-Hazy Center, Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum’s annex, will be celebrating the contribution of African American Pioneers in Aviation and Space on Saturday, February 6, 2016 from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm. http://airandspace.si.edu/events/heritage-days/african-american/

“The day will include an opportunity for visitors to meet and learn more about the distinguished African American World War II fighter group, local USAF Academy graduate pilots, Black Pilots of America, Chesapeake Black Hawks Chapter and USAF (Ret.) Colonel and NASA Astronaut Benjamin Alvin Drew, Jr. Colonel (Ret.) Drew is also a Washington, DC native. Hands-on activities, a Tuskegee Airmen puppet performance produced for the NASM by Rainbow Productions, book signings, and a story time with a hands-on craft activity for children ages 4–7 complete the day.”  -Barb Gruber, Aerospace Educator

A search for 3D printable models related to the Tuskegee Airmen or other African American pioneers in aviation or space returns 0 hits. This is no surprise given previous experience searching 3D repositories for models related to Martin Luther King, Jr. https://designmaketeach.com/2014/01/16/3d-printing-martin-luther-king-jr/

The lack of models provides a rich opportunity for students, educators and 3d designers to make a significant contribution to the world.

Challenge: Create and share a 3D design that celebrates the contribution of the Tuskegee Airmen and/or other African American Pioneers in Aviation and Space with the hashtag #TuskegeeAirmen. Leave a comment with a link to your design or mention me on Twitter @DesignMakeTeach

My contribution is a 3D printable version of the patch of the 332nd Fighter Group. The design uses an image from Wikimedia https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Shield_of_the_332nd_Fighter_Group.svg  which was edited in Inkscape and then imported and remixed in Tinkercad. The design is on Thingiverse http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1299127 and can be edited in Tinkercad https://tinkercad.com/things/3Tgmnet8pUf.