Hello, my name is Michael L. Nelson, and I am the President and CEO of The Redtails of Tomorrow. I started this Organization because I saw a need to bridge the gap in making our hobby of building and flying R/C Model Aircraft more accessible to all young adults between the ages of 9 to 18. I wanted to reach kids from all ethnic backgrounds and primarily the less fortunate. Building and flying model airplanes is fun, enjoyable, exciting and very educational. However, to be able to enjoy the best this hobby has to offer can be quite discouraging when a child or their parents are faced with the high price tag of some of the best flying models available in todays R/C market. Don`t get me wrong, these top model replicas of prop and turbine powered aircraft are worth every penny that these designers and engineers have worked so hard to design and create for our enjoyment. So, the message that I am trying to convey to you is, that it is these top high price models that are the ones that help light the fire inside of that child and send his dreams and imagination soaring. Albert Einstein said, “Imagination is everything, it is the preview of life’s coming attractions.” Everything that we experience for enjoyment in today’s world began with someone`s imagination. I believe that God has given everybody a gift at birth, and it is that gift that when nourished, will cause you to be successful throughout your journey in life. This where The Redtails of Tomorrow shines, by providing a no cost experience to the world of Manufacturing and Engineering in the Aviation industry. If you are young adult or a parent with a child between the ages of 9 and 18, Then please allow me to assist you letting your dreams or child`s dreams soar to the top!!

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Now, to tell you a little bit about myself, I became fascinated with all this hobby has to offer back in 1976, when my father would take me and my brother to the Imperial R/C Flying Club in Mulberry Fl. My parents weren’t able to afford to put me in the hobby at that time, but the enjoyment and excitement I got from spectating as a child lit the fire inside me. I knew that one day I would participate in the hobby I so fell in love with. Love at first sight, I guess you can call it. Fast-forwarding, in 1984 I graduated from High School and join the Military, I worked my way thru the ranks and became a Drill Sergeant. This is when I discovered I carried the same gift as my mother had, which was teaching. In 1993 I was honorably discharged and went to work for a company in Texas called E-Systems. They provided special modifications for aircraft of the U.S Airforce and service for aircraft used by the president of the United States. Being exposed to aviation again relit the fire inside of me once a again.so I located the nearest hobby shop in Ft worth Tx, and bought my first Ric airplane kit, a Carl Goldberg Eagle 2, and built my first model airplane. It was beautiful; However, life took it course, I got married and I had a child, and my first airplane never left the ground. While my hobby had gotten put on hold again my desire to figure out how things work grew. I spent 15years as a certified Chrysler Master Automotive Technician This occupation enabled me to earn the income to finally get my Hobby that I loved so much off to a great start. So, into it I went, and what an exciting experience I had. I learned to fly!!! My skills had even gotten so good I started competing in IMAC. I also became a Master Builder. I had built several aircraft, Competition level aircraft that awed the crowd when I showed up at the field. I loved building so much I wanted to modify design and scratch build my own aircraft, and even manufacture my own parts. I knew this would require some more

knowledge and in-depth training, so I returned to school and received my degree at Tarrant County Community College and The University of Texas Arlington to become a Manufacturing Engineering CNC programmer (Nc Engineer). This occupation really opened my eyes to how important some of the basic math skills a child learns in middle school, like the Cartesian Coordinate System and how becomes the foundation for them to create a machine to manufacture parts. So many kids go to school and think “I`ll never actually use these math equations or algebraic formulas on the job. “Right? Wrong, in my Profession we use it all. When I show and introduce students to how what they are learning in the classroom relates to the job they are striving to achieve. They take in the information with a greater importance and they’re having so much fun doing it, it doesn’t feel like just school anymore.

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So, in closing, I would like to welcome you to the Redtails of Tomorrow!!! You know the Tuskegee Airmen despite all their adversities, rose to become one of the greatest fighter groups of World War 2, The 332nd with the mission of bomber escort. Never losing a bomber, No, not one. So please take a step forward and help us to escort these kids and their dreams and imaginations to a state of reality. Become a Redtail and help develop the future Aviators of tomorrow.