As a part of proactive programmes to connect with the youth, the IAF flagged off a Student Interaction Drive, named ‘Guardians of the Sky’ today at Air Force Station New Delhi. The Drive is aimed to closely interact with students in seven cities across Central and Western India so as to create awareness aboutthe IAF in general and career opportunities in the officers’ cadre in particular.
Selected young IAF officers in customised Gypsies, along with support staff, was ‘flagged off’ by Air Marshal PR Sharma AVSM, Air Officer-in-charge Personnel. The team would cover six cities – Gwalior, Indore, Nasik, Mumbai, Pune and Hyderabad, before being ‘flagged in’ at Nagpur on 05 Oct 13, after covering over 3000 kms. Enroute, ‘Guardians of the Sky’ would meet young men and women at nine premier educationalinstitutes in these cities, including the IITs at Mumbai, Hyderabad and Indore. At each location, a multidisciplinary group of IAF officers would be on hand to interact with the students, to provide details on career opportunities in the IAF and to answer queries. A few interesting events are also planned to encourage participation by students.
An IAF Adventure team, comprising parasailing instructors, powered hang gliders and a micro light aircraft, forms a part of the Drive. Selected students at each institute would be given a unique opportunity to participate in parasailing at a suitable location in the vicinity, while some others would also get to visit a nearby IAF base and soar to the skies in a microlight aircraft or Powered Hang Glider.
The drive would provide a great opportunity for students to experience glimpses of the adventurous life that IAF offers and of avenues available as an IAF officer. For the IAF, this novel effort is a way of reaching out to the youth by offering opportunities in aero sports at their doorstep; to make them more ‘air minded’ and aware of the uniqueness of ‘Brand IAF’.