“I grew up building and flying model airplanes with my dad. To me it is more than just a hobby. This lifestyle is a path of education, people, and creation. R/C airplanes provided an introduction to and subsequent experience with designing, manufacturing, prototyping, trouble shooting, electronics, and so much more. Even the simplest model airplane has very much to offer to an eager mind. The skills I developed from building model airplanes have carried over to my college years in mechanical engineering, providing me with a vast base of knowledge that I have been able to apply to almost every class I have taken. Being able to do hands-on projects is key to being able to understand how things work, and model aviation is a low-bar-to-entry and nonrestrictive method for achieving that. The bar-to-entry should remain low so that generations to come can have easy access to the troves of knowledge, community, excitement, and creativity that is model aeronautics.”