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Recruiters learn new leads process at Cleveland National Air Show

  • Published
  • By 2nd Lt. Holli Snyder
  • 179th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
CLEVELAND, Ohio --  Recruiters and volunteers from the 179th Airlift Wing were on hand this weekend at the Cleveland National Air Show to promote the Air National Guard and train on new recruiting equipment and techniques.
By partaking in this large scale recruiting effort, the recruiters from the 179th AW got to train on a new leads system on the iPad. People could sign up on the iPad to ride the gyro-ball, a two-seat ride that spins in all directions, and their information would be stored in an application that could be viewed as often as necessary to calculate new leads. This enabled them to gain more useable leads from people visiting the tent than ever before.
The recruiters were hoping to beat their own record, set a few years ago, of most leads generated at a single event.
"We have an asset here that we don't get to have often. It attracts a lot of people and a different crowd than we get at other events. We have an aviation mission and people are attracted to us here," said Master Sgt. Jodi Welch, 200th Red Horse Squadron Recruiting Non-Commissioned Officer, when asked about the benefits of being at the Cleveland National Air Show.
One of the biggest parts of the recruiting effort here was the Air Guard stunt plane, piloted by Lt. Col. John Klatt of the 148th Fighter Wing, Minnesota Air National Guard. Adults and children alike had the opportunity to fly like Klatt in an interactive video game inside the recruiting tent and to read about his career field in the ANG. Deserving Air Guard and community members got to participate in an incentive ride with Klatt in the stunt plane the day before the weekend activities kicked off, as a way of saying thanks for their hard work and dedication. Klatt performs in air shows across the country for the Air National Guard and when not performing, he flies the C-130 Hercules and F-16 Fighting Falcon.
Also on hand at the air show was a static display of the U.S. Air Force C-27J Spartan from the 179th AW. Crowds of spectators were able to meet and greet with the aircrew members and go inside the aircraft. Units from across Ohio were represented here, as well as aircrew and aircraft from all branches of military service.
Spectators were able to watch performances by some of the greatest aircraft that military and civilian aviation had to offer during this three-day event. The Cleveland National Air Show takes place each year at Burke Lakefront Airport in downtown Cleveland.