High school students across the nation will soon have the opportunity to have real-life experience in supply chain manufacturing. Mark Cleveland, Nashville entrepreneur, Hobby Express CEO and longtime manufacturer of the Telemaster® model planes, will be partnering with development and management company, Treeline Bamboo Partners, to continue the Telemaster heritage by creating a catalyst for youth interested in model airplanes. Together, they want students around the U.S. to have the opportunity to be a part of a program mirroring manufacturing with a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) course. This course will allow students the experiences for supply chain management, manufacturing, and building and design innovation with Telemaster planes.
Together, they want students around the U.S. to have the opportunity to be a part of a program mirroring manufacturing with a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) course. This course will allow students the experiences for supply chain management, manufacturing, and building and design innovation with Telemaster planes.
Telemaster is one of the oldest brands for model airplanes and was acquired by Cleveland in 2009 when he purchased Hobby Express, which has a heritage of 56 years in the hobby business. Hobby Express redesigned the Telemaster and brought precision modeling back to the United States in Tennessee. This inspired Cleveland to take that one step further to create an opportunity for students to learn about technology in a unique, hands-on experience.
“Telemasters are already widely used as flight training aircraft because they fly so beautifully, so training is core to the brand,” explains Mark Cleveland. “It’s also used widely in university educational programs because a steady, heavy lifter like the Telemaster is such a great instrumentation platform. Schools nationwide are already using Telemasters as kits for enterprising teachers, generally operating without the kind of structure we are creating with this program. They proved how a scale aircraft like the Telemaster offers the perfect platform for STEM education. A young mind can form it, build it, improve it, experience it and fly it – the Telemaster takes flight and gives a hands-on exposure to the transition from concept to lift off.”
The curriculum planned will be a stand-alone class where high school students will build Telemaster planes from raw materials to out-the-door kits. Students will utilize today’s best technology from CAD design to laser cutting equipment, 3D modeling and instant prototyping that will create an integrated learning environment in a structured program focused on industrial safety disciplines.
A Kickstarter campaign has launched to help raise interest and funds for the pilot program in the Nashville, Tenn. area high schools. Click here to give or learn more about this Kickstarter campaign.
