On Tuesday, November 12th, an Army Air Rescue Exhibit came to Eastmont High School. The exhibit included a simulation flight and taught the students how to fly the helicopter and deploy water on fires.

This specific exhibit was the AS11, a 1.3 billion dollar, 30-ton tractor/trailer asset deployed to assist local recruiting units in generating interest in upcoming generations by using virtual reality helicopter stations. 

Students entered the demonstration trailer for a three-minute flying simulation. 

Alex Hampton, junior, said, “The simulation helps with the control of the helicopter.”

Sophomore Maylynn Pipkin also experienced the demonstration. 

Pipkin shared, “Flying is harder and more dangerous as it seems.”

The demonstration was led by several Army recruiters stationed in Wenatchee.  Recruiters go on a 3-year recruiter tour before they have the option to go to a different job for the military. The recruiters’ job is to convince people to join the military.

Damieon Hansen, junior, shared what he learned: “You can join to be a full-time recruiter, as they were stationed as recruiters for 3-4 years.”

The Army recruiters shared information about different military jobs while students waited for their turn in the trailer. They learned that there are over 100 different jobs that the military provides: engineering, medical work, transportation, financial, and many more different job opportunities.

Senior Neftali Alfonso said, “It is a great opportunity; there are a lot of jobs. People don’t realize that you don’t have to be fighting smart.  People join and take a medical or dentist career and then they join a hospital and they get a job because veterans have priorities and then you are well off in this experience I realized that it is not easy flying a helicopter and that the joysticks are very sensitive and I had a good time it is an experience that I would definitely recommend to people if you have the chance to do it”