Recruiters Look to Virtual Flight to Entice Would-Be Airmen

Amid a larger dearth of recruiting across all branches of military service, the Air Force is leveraging students' natural video gaming instincts to achieve a competitive edge in cultivating future airmen. 

The Air Force's Recruiting Service Detachment 1 took to the suburbs of Detroit to promote its "Aim High Flight Academy" and other U.S. Air Force opportunities geared towards students about to graduate.

While the Detachment's primary goal was to "inform and inspire" about the Aim High Flight Academy, the team capitalized on enlistment and commissioning programs as well. Their secret weapon in gaining the eyes and ears of generally apathetic young high schoolers? The squad's tabletop flight simulator, along with a few Air Force-flavored goodies for those who scored highest in their flight skills. 

The flight sim capitalized on the strongest recruiting aspect of the Air Force: The inherent coolness of a high-performance aircraft. Unfortunately, most people without any flight experience cannot adequately manage the demanding flight environment of an F-series fighter, so the exercise made use of a virtual Cessna Skyhawk. The draw seemed successful, according to school personnel. Students were able to try out the pilot life for a brief moment and learn about USAF programs that could one day lead them to an office with an ejection seat. 

“Bringing a team like this together into this school provides students a window into opportunities while drawing in and sustaining diversification throughout the Air Force,” said Staff Sergeant Brandon Filer, a recruiter for both the Air and Space Force.

“The major benefit to bringing in this team specifically is providing the students with exposure to other opportunities that are available to them,” said Violida Barnett, a counselor at a local school. “Students need to know what scholarships are available, what options they can choose from in the Air Force should they want to do that.”

“Less exposure means that students have their own preconceived notions about what the military has to offer and also means they just might not be knowledgeable about what is going on in the world.”

FMI: www.recruiting.af.mil