Vance Air Force Base, Oklahoma – 5 miles south of Enid, approximately 94 miles northwest of Oklahoma city and is 1,307 ft above sea level. The facility has a mission of producing military pilots. Vance AFB (VAFB) is located on over 4,934 acres with 142 buildings, and 230 housing units. There are approximately 2,450 employees at VAFB (1050 military, 200 civil service, 1,200 Northrop/contract). The base mission also involves aircraft maintenance and civil engineering activities. The 71st Flying Training Wing conducts joint specialized undergraduate pilot training (JSUPT) for qualified United States military officers plus international officers. Flying training is also provided for members of the Air National Guard, Air Force Reserve and the air forces of several allied countries.
VANCE AFB is situated about five miles south of downtown Enid on land which once produced bumper wheat crops. In 1941, for the sum of $1 a year, this land was leased from the city of Enid to the federal government as a site for a pilot training field. It has grown to be the finest and most efficient undergraduate pilot training base in the Air Force.
Construction of the airfield complex began in late 1941, and on Nov. 21 the base was officially activated. The installation was without a name but was generally referred to as Air Corps Basic Flying School of Enid, Okla. It was not until Feb. 11, 1942, that the base was officially named Enid Army Flying School. The mission of the school was to train aviation cadets to become aircraft pilots and commissioned officers in the Army Air Corps.
The first aircraft used was the BT-13A, (on display in the air park near the main entry gate) later supplemented by the BT-15. These were the only aircraft used for basic pilot training during World War II. However, in 1944 advanced students were graduated in the TB-25 and TB-26. For the duration of the war, the basic phase of training graduated 8,169 students, while the advanced phase of training graduated 826. As the demand for pilots decreased after World War II, the Enid Army Flying Field (as it was named in 1943) closed Jan. 31, 1947. With the creation of the U.S. Air Force as a separate service in September 1947, it became evident that once again the Enid training facilities would be required.
In 1956 the T-33 single-engine jet replaced the TB-25. The twin-engine T-37 jet, designed as a primary trainer, became operational at the base in 1961. Replacing the T-33 in 1963-64 was the T-38, an advanced supersonic jet trainer. The T-37 and T-38 are the aircraft still used for pilot training at Vance today.
In 1960 Vance was selected by the Air Force as part of an extended experiment in contract services. Under this plan a civilian contractor furnishes the support facilities normally provided by base agencies. The contractor performs aircraft and base maintenance, ground transportation, fire protection, procurement, supply, photographic and other services. All military training, academic instruction and flying training continues, however, under military supervision.
Serv-Air, Inc. began support services in October of 1960. Northrop Worldwide Aircraft Services, Inc., assumed the support services at Vance in 1972. Since 1960, Vance has had a contractor in place to provide support services.
In March 1990 Air Force officials announced that Vance would add a new aircraft to its inventory. The 71st Flying Training Wing took delivery of the Beechcraft T-1 Jayhawk in December 1994, and moved to specialized undergraduate pilot training (SUPT) in September 1995. Under SUPT all students started out flying the T-37, then branch off to specialized training. Those heading for tanker/transport assignments will train in the T-1. Fighter, bomber, and reconnaissance pilots will train in the T-38. In July 1995, the BRAC Commission recommended closure of Reese Air Force Base, and Vance was given the joint specialized pilot training (JSUPT) mission. As of 2006, all joint specialized pilot training (JSUPT) students accomplish primary training in the T-6 Texan II.
The current operations squadrons that fall under the 71st Flying Training Wing are the 71st Student Squadron, the 8th Flying Training Squadron, the 25th Flying Training Squadron, the 32nd Flying Training Squadron, and the 33rd Flying Training Squadron. A reserve unit, the 5th Flying Training Squadron, augments all phases of flying training by providing qualified instructor pilots to the other flying squadrons.
Today Vance pilots do primary training in the the T- 6, and advanced training in the T-38C or T-1 aircraft.
The T-6A Texan II is a single-engine, two-seater designed to train Joint Primary Pilot Training, or JPPT, students in basic flying skills common to U.S. Air Force and Navy pilots.
T-1A Jayhawk is a medium-range, twin-engine jet trainer used in the advanced phase of specialized undergraduate pilot training for students selected to fly airlift or tanker aircraft.
The T-38C Talon is a twin-engine, high-altitude, supersonic jet trainer used by Air Education and Training Command for joint specialized undergraduate pilot training for students going to fighters and bombers.
VANCE AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. – Student pilots here hit yet another milestone April 2, 2021 as the first 17 Undergraduate Pilot Training 2.5 graduates crossed the stage and received their wings. (NOTE: Pilots received their wings after completing the T-6 then move on the the T-38 or T-1)
The changes to pilot training focus on student-centric instruction, and stem from leadership’s recognition that students learn differently than those even a decade ago. “Digital courseware and online academics available on-command and on-demand are the norm for today’s graduates, instead of referring back to paper products and relying only on in-person instruction,” said Maj. Kinsley Jordan, Team Vance’s chief of innovation.
In a departure from the rigid traditional syllabus and training methods used for the last 50 years, students begin UPT 2.5 with early access to online academic content designed to familiarize them with the aircraft they’re going to fly first, the T-6A Texan II. Virtual reality with interactive lessons, to include 360-degree virtual reality trainers, enable students to become familiar with local training routes and procedures via a simulator long before they reach the cockpit. These immersive training devices allow students to maximize every second of the time they spend in the air and gives instructor pilots the ability to correct deviations immediately after landing. Students are then able to practice real-world shortfalls as many times as needed before completing their next in-air training sortie.
“Vance’s willingness to embrace modernization and think creatively made this day possible,” Maj. Gen. Craig Wills, the commander of 19th Air Force, said April 1. “By emphasizing innovation and flexibility as core values, they are shaping pilot training for the future, and I couldn’t be more proud of the first Vance UPT 2.5 graduates to cross the stage.” Vance has been working on this type of training since 2018, when the base tested a prototype of UPT 2.5. “UPT 2.5 is an evolving process,” said Johnson. “I’ve been lucky to be here for most of the evolution, and the way our Airmen have adapted has been nothing short of amazing.”
The demanding UPT 2.5 training program will result in a higher quality of pilots, who are able to adapt to inflight mission changes and therefore will be better prepared for the future fight, said Johnson. Vance is the sole Air Force pilot training base to roll out UPT 2.5, with the last traditional syllabus class graduating this summer.
Since 1941, the total number of pilot wings awarded to military aviators at Vance AFB is 34,000.
Current as of August 22, 2021