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''This article was started from a graduate's recollection. Location, sculptor, dates, and photographs need to be added by contributors. New to USAFAPedia? See [[USAFAPedia:How to contribute|how to contribute]].''

Bronze busts of '''[[Wright Brothers|Orville and Wilbur Wright]]''' on the campus of the [[United States Air Force Academy]] are the focus of a small but enduring cadet tradition: cadets polish the brothers' bronze noses, an act called '''"brown-nosing"''' in keeping with the cadet humor tradition of finding double meaning in any opportunity.{{cn}}

== The busts ==

''To be added: location of the busts on campus, sculptor, year installed, dimensions, the official dedication context.''

== The brown-nosing tradition ==

The polishing of the noses is a long-standing informal cadet practice. The pun on "brown-nosing" — military slang for ingratiating behavior toward a superior — gives the act its enduring appeal: a cadet polishing the bust's nose is, in a sense, "brown-nosing" the founders of powered flight, while also producing a visible bronze shine that distinguishes the noses from the rest of the patina-darkened busts.

''Has the bust ever been refinished or restored? Have specific class years or squadrons made a tradition of polishing the noses on a particular occasion? Photos welcome.''

== See also ==

* [[Wright Brothers]]
* [[Spirit missions]]
* [[USAFA campus statuary]]
* [[Cadet humor]]

== References ==

<references />

[[Category:USAFA campus]]
[[Category:USAFA traditions]]
[[Category:Cadet humor]]

Draft:Wright Brothers busts - Revision history

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