Redbird started as a familiar conversation amongst pilots: learning to fly is expensive and hard, but once mastered, few pursuits can match the life changing impacts aviation brings. At first glance, the costs and difficulties seemed intractable, but we thought our collective backgrounds in technology and passion for aviation might provide at least a few solutions. So Redbird was founded in 2006 with the simple idea that we could help make it easier for anyone to become a pilot. When we set out to revolutionize aviation, our first goal was to build a flight simulation system that provided unheard of training value at a price every flight school could afford. The original idea was the obvious one: The best way to make a pilot feel like they are flying a real airplane is to put them in a real airplane. That led us to an aircraft boneyard south of Dallas and the original Redbird, N45480. N45480- The Original RedbirdA decaying Cessna 177 Cardinal RG, we thought she was the perfect prototype. Not long into the development process we realized the idea of using an old fuselage was not as ingenious as we had once thought. So we revised our plans, and N45480 was sent back to quietly repose in the Texas sun. Although our original plans for her didn’t work out, we’ve never forgotten the plane that was once to become the first FMX. How could we? After-all we named the company after her. After a few more not-quite-right prototypes, we arrived at our first product, the Redbird FMX. Since then we’ve expanded our product line, built new companies to attack the problems of exorbitant aircraft operating costs and lackluster flight training curriculums, and we’ve managed to deliver over 1,200 aviation training devices to 30+ countries. We’ve still got a long way to go, but we’re proud of the revolutionary changes our employees and customers are bringing to this industry we are all so passionate about.