WEBVTT 00:02.960 --> 00:04.960 it's , it's phenomenal . So some of 00:04.960 --> 00:07.293 them don't even have a driver's license , 00:07.293 --> 00:09.238 they have more experience flying a 00:09.238 --> 00:11.182 plane than they do driving a car , 00:11.182 --> 00:14.970 started a high flight academy for 2022 00:14.980 --> 00:18.150 in june of this year . General Brown's 00:18.160 --> 00:22.100 Radio diversity initiative to energize 00:22.110 --> 00:25.450 youth ages 16 up to 23 were trying to 00:25.460 --> 00:28.100 make the diversity of the Air Force 00:28.110 --> 00:30.640 more closely match the diversity of the 00:30.640 --> 00:33.940 nation . I think everything is amazing 00:33.940 --> 00:36.162 that they're actually offering this , I 00:36.162 --> 00:38.380 think that a lot of our younger 00:38.380 --> 00:41.290 generation , um , they don't see a lot 00:41.290 --> 00:44.510 of pilots that look like them um , 00:45.220 --> 00:48.390 in the Air Force and commercial , they 00:48.390 --> 00:50.557 just don't see it . And so I feel like 00:50.557 --> 00:53.240 this program kind of lets them have the 00:53.240 --> 00:55.290 opportunity to see that this is a 00:55.290 --> 00:58.750 possibility for them 33 week sessions 00:59.320 --> 01:01.376 In which the students come out . The 01:01.376 --> 01:03.487 primary focus is flight training . So 01:03.487 --> 01:06.370 they get up to 15 hours of flight 01:06.370 --> 01:09.810 training in Cessna172 with 01:09.820 --> 01:12.350 a kind of a stretch goal to solo at the 01:12.350 --> 01:14.461 end of that 15 hours if they're ready 01:14.461 --> 01:16.517 being here throughout the nine weeks 01:16.517 --> 01:18.628 and watching all of the students um , 01:18.628 --> 01:20.850 from the time that they start literally 01:20.850 --> 01:23.250 not even knowing um , which rudder 01:23.250 --> 01:25.540 depressed as they're going down and 01:25.540 --> 01:28.290 then watching them just be fully 01:28.290 --> 01:30.457 confident in knowing that they're able 01:30.457 --> 01:32.970 to solo and fly that plane on their own 01:32.980 --> 01:35.780 is amazing . Um , that was probably the 01:35.780 --> 01:39.700 most rewarding part of students are the 01:39.700 --> 01:42.440 best . It is amazing to be able to 01:42.440 --> 01:44.551 watch them grow from week one to week 01:44.551 --> 01:46.900 three . So they come in here , we pick 01:46.900 --> 01:49.122 them up from the airport , They're very 01:49.122 --> 01:51.067 shy , reserved , kind of ask a few 01:51.067 --> 01:53.067 questions , don't know what they're 01:53.067 --> 01:55.178 getting themselves into and then they 01:55.178 --> 01:57.511 do is they just take it and run with it , 01:57.511 --> 01:58.900 which has been awesome , 02:01.350 --> 02:03.680 getting up in the sky and really 02:03.680 --> 02:05.624 getting the hands on experience is 02:05.624 --> 02:08.700 amazing . Um , the people like , you 02:08.710 --> 02:11.770 don't know anybody here and you come in 02:11.770 --> 02:14.490 flights as groups and what I really 02:14.490 --> 02:16.670 love is like really getting to know 02:16.670 --> 02:18.892 these people as well . Like the cadre , 02:18.892 --> 02:21.059 like I was saying earlier , getting to 02:21.059 --> 02:20.560 know the Condrey , getting to know the 02:20.560 --> 02:23.380 student body . It's like , wow , you 02:23.380 --> 02:25.440 understand , we're like , I guess 02:25.440 --> 02:28.080 saying hi to me so far for the past 2.5 02:28.080 --> 02:30.320 weeks has been , I guess not what I 02:30.320 --> 02:32.542 expected . I thought it was just flight 02:32.542 --> 02:34.709 training and just like military and on 02:34.709 --> 02:36.931 honesty and just going through like a 9 02:36.931 --> 02:38.987 to 5 flying day sims and like ground 02:38.987 --> 02:41.460 school , but in the past two weeks I 02:41.460 --> 02:43.627 think it's been a little bit more than 02:43.627 --> 02:45.571 that . Like the flight that I'm in 02:45.571 --> 02:47.793 charlie . Um honestly I think I'm gonna 02:47.793 --> 02:49.960 keep in touch with these kids . Like I 02:49.960 --> 02:52.071 think they're going to be some , some 02:52.071 --> 02:54.238 good friends in the future in aviation 02:54.238 --> 02:56.238 mentorship is a big part of it as a 02:56.238 --> 02:58.349 staff were trying to model what right 02:58.349 --> 03:00.571 looks like as , as an air force and the 03:00.571 --> 03:02.404 end goal is to , is to give them 03:02.404 --> 03:04.516 something to aspire to , to give them 03:04.516 --> 03:06.738 the students the confidence through the 03:06.738 --> 03:08.793 flight training and encouragement to 03:08.793 --> 03:11.110 let them know that they can they can do 03:11.110 --> 03:12.960 things they otherwise might have 03:12.960 --> 03:14.738 thought they couldn't . We want 03:14.738 --> 03:16.960 everybody to apply . I don't care where 03:16.960 --> 03:19.016 you come from . I don't care how you 03:19.016 --> 03:21.293 grew up . I don't care your background . 03:21.293 --> 03:22.904 I want you to know that this 03:22.904 --> 03:25.127 opportunity is here for you and that we 03:25.127 --> 03:27.238 would love for you to be able to come 03:27.238 --> 03:29.404 down and learn how to fly with us once 03:29.404 --> 03:31.970 you get into senior leadership is One 03:31.970 --> 03:34.200 of your major obligations is to train 03:34.200 --> 03:36.830 your replacement . So I hope I've done 03:36.830 --> 03:39.520 that with 72 students over the summer .