Rebirth of the Telemaster

A KICKSTARTER THAT USES A CLASSIC AIRCRAFT TO TURN YOUNG ADULTS INTO ENTREPRENEURS AND INNOVATIVE THINKERS/MAKERS

The Telemaster is a classic RC design that thousands of modelers have built and flown for generations. An exclusive mainstay of the Hobby Lobby brand, anyone who learned to fly in the 1960s, ’70s, or ’80s knows that the Telemaster in its various sizes is a popular, easy-to-build, great-flying airplane. Even today, if you haven’t actually flown one, you certainly know someone who has. Originally produced by Alexander Engel of Germany and imported to the United States by Hobby Lobby International in the late ’60s, the Telemaster spawned three versions of kits (and even ARFs): the standard 6-foot-span model, the 8-foot-span Senior Telemaster, and the 4-foot-span Junior Telemaster, making it one of the oldest, continually produced airplane designs available today.

A classic part of the Hobby Lobby lineup of kits for decades, the Telemaster was retained when Mark Cleveland purchased Hobby Lobby and changed its name
to Hobby Express. Recently, Mark has been working with Treeline Development to expand the Telemaster heritage and introduce it to a younger generation of makers
by forming an approved STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) development course. The curriculum is planned to be compatible as a stand-alone
class, a work-study job, or an after-school program in which high-school students will learn the basics of quality control and safety while meeting the demands of manufacturing a full-production product. It goes without saying that the program will also encourage student engagement in ideation and entrepreneurial thinking—and
RC model aviation!

n excellent win-win situation, this is a great opportunity to train a new generation of makers while greatly expanding the supply of Telemaster kits. While the students learn hands-on in a how-to environment, Treeline also foresees new innovations in product
development in the near future, connected with innovative learning for the physics, electronics, and control systems for fixed-wing model aircraft. Competition between programs will also help improve supply-chain development.

KICKOFF
Starting June 20 and running through July 21, 2017, Treeline’s crowd-funding campaign will help generate interest and funds for this project. If you’d like to get involved, go to kickstarter.com and search for “Telemaster.” Under this new product development arrangement, Hobby Express will remain the exclusive outlet for Telemaster and all new products Treeline develops for the Telemaster brand.