Vance Air Force Base is a

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...

base located in southern Enid,

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

, about north northwest of

Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, a ...

. The base is named after local

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

hero and

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...

recipient, Lieutenant Colonel Leon Robert Vance Jr. The host unit at Vance is the

71st Flying Training Wing The 71st Flying Training Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to Air Education and Training Command. It is stationed at Vance Air Force Base, Oklahoma where has conducted pilot training for the Air Force and allied nations since 1972 ...

(71 FTW), which is a part of

Air Education and Training Command Air Education and Training Command (AETC) is one of the nine Major Commands (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force (USAF), reporting to Headquarters, United States Air Force. It was established 1 July 1993, with the realignment of Air Training ...

(AETC). The commander of the 71 FTW is Colonel Jay Johnson. The vice-commander is Colonel Charles Schuck and the command chief is Chief Master Sergeant Brandon Smith.

History

World War II

Construction began on 12 July 1941 for a cost of $4,034,583. Army Air Corps Project Officer, Major Henry W. Dorr supervised the construction and developed the basic pilot training base. 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, and on November 21 the base was officially activated. The installation was without a name but was generally referred to as Air Corps Basic Flying School. The mission of the school was to train aviation cadets to become aircraft pilots and commissioned officers in the

United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

. The facility was assigned to the AAF Gulf Coast Training Center, with the Army Air Force Pilot School (Primary) activated (phase 1 pilot training), in which flight cadets were taught basic flight using two-seater training aircraft.

Fairchild PT-19 The Fairchild PT-19 (company designation Fairchild M62) is an American monoplane primary trainer aircraft that served with the United States Army Air Forces, RAF and RCAF during World War II. Designed by Fairchild Aircraft, it was a contempora ...

s were the primary trainer used. It was not until 1942, that the base was officially named Enid Army Flying School, also known as Woodring Field. It was officially activated on 11 February 1942. On 8 January 1943, the War Department constituted and activated the 31st Flying Training Wing (Primary) at Enid and assigned it to the AAF Central Flying Training Command. 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 with the end of the war in Europe, the Enid Army Flying Field began ramping down pilot production and deactivated on 31 January 1947, by which time 9,895 Army Air Force pilots had earned wings there. In 1946, Alva, Oklahoma native Floyd E. Welsh, the War Surplus Property Officer in Washington, D.C., had pigeonholed the Enid AAF folder when it crossed his desk for disposal action. Two years later the Soviet Union blockaded Berlin, Germany, and President Harry S. Truman ordered an airlift to resupply the city. The U.S. Air Force, realizing a need for training facilities, asked Welsh if any World War II airfields remained in inventory. He exhumed the Enid AAF folder, and the base was reactivated on August 1, 1948, as Enid Air Force Base. On July 9, 1949, the base was renamed for Lieutenant Colonel Leon R. Vance, USAAF, an Enid native who was awarded the

in World War II.

Cold War

Reactivated as Enid Air Force Base, the installation became one of several pilot training bases within the

Air Training Command Air Training Command (ATC) is a former United States Air Force (USAF) Major Command designation. It was headquartered at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas, but was initially formed at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. It was re-designated as Ai ...

(ATC). Its initial mission was to provide training for advanced students in multi-engine aircraft. In keeping with the Air Force tradition of naming bases for deceased Air Force flyers, on July 9, 1949, the base was renamed after a local World War II hero and

recipient, Lieutenant Colonel Leon Robert Vance Jr. T-37-vance-1971

The first aircraft flown at Vance when it was still Enid AAF was the BT-13A, followed shortly by the BT-15. In 1944, advanced students flew the

TB-25 The North American B-25 Mitchell is an American medium bomber that was introduced in 1941 and named in honor of Major General Billy Mitchell, William "Billy" Mitchell, a pioneer of U.S. military aviation. Used by many Allies of World War II, ...

and TB-26. Following the establishment of U.S. Air Force as a separate service in September 1947, Enid AFB-turned-Vance AFB began conducting training in the

AT-6 Texan The North American Aviation T-6 Texan is an American single-engined advanced trainer aircraft used to train pilots of the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF), United States Navy, Royal Air Force, Royal Canadian Air Force and other air forces ...

and eventually the

T-33 Shooting Star The Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star (or T-Bird) is an American subsonic jet trainer. It was produced by Lockheed and made its first flight in 1948. The T-33 was developed from the Lockheed P-80/F-80 starting as TP-80C/TF-80C in development, then d ...

. The

T-37 Tweet The Cessna T-37 Tweet (designated Model 318 by Cessna) is a small, economical twin-engined jet trainer type which flew for decades as a primary trainer for the United States Air Force (USAF) and in the air forces of several other nations. The ...

first flew at Vance AFB beginning in 1961, and the

T-38 Talon The Northrop T-38 Talon is a two-seat, twinjet supersonic jet trainer. It was the world's first, and the most produced, supersonic trainer. The T-38 remains in service in several air forces. The United States Air Force (USAF) operates the most ...

in 1963 as the Air Force transitioned to its

Undergraduate Pilot Training Air Education and Training Command (AETC) is one of the nine Major Commands (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force (USAF), reporting to Headquarters, United States Air Force. It was established 1 July 1993, with the realignment of Air Training ...

(UPT) system.

Post Cold War

In 1995 Air Force officials announced that Vance would transition to the Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training curriculum. Under SUPT, Vance students begin their training in the

Beechcraft T-6 Texan II The Beechcraft T-6 Texan II is a single-engine turboprop aircraft built by the Raytheon Aircraft Company (Textron Aviation since 2014). A trainer aircraft based on the Pilatus PC-9, the T-6 has replaced the United States Air Force's Cessna T ...

followed by the

T-1A Jayhawk The Raytheon T-1 Jayhawk is a twin-engined jet aircraft used by the United States Air Force for advanced pilot training. T-1A students go on to fly airlift and tanker aircraft. The T-400 is a similar version for the Japan Air Self-Defense For ...

for students identified for jet tanker, transport or large reconnaissance aircraft, and the

for fighter, bomber and other USAF fixed-wing aircraft. With the introduction of the

Joint Primary Aircraft Training System The Joint Primary Aircraft Training System (JPATS) was an aircraft procurement program of the United States in the 1990s by the United States Air Force and United States Navy, a merger of 1980s era training aircraft programs. The winner was dec ...

(JPATS) to Vance in 2005, the 71 FTW began transitioning from the T-37 to the newer

T-6 Texan II The Beechcraft T-6 Texan II is a single-engine turboprop aircraft built by the Raytheon Aircraft Company (Textron Aviation since 2014). A trainer aircraft based on the Pilatus PC-9, the T-6 has replaced the United States Air Force's Cessna T ...

. Joint training with the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

and

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

began at Vance in 1996, with select USN and USMC strike jet student

naval aviator Naval aviation is the application of military air power by navies, whether from warships that embark aircraft, or land bases. Naval aviation is typically projected to a position nearer the target by way of an aircraft carrier. Carrier-based a ...

s obtaining all training at Vance in the T-37 and T-38 except for carrier qualification, which they subsequently complete in the

T-45 Goshawk The McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) T-45 Goshawk is a highly modified version of the British BAE Systems Hawk land-based training jet aircraft. Manufactured by McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) and British Aerospace (now BAE Systems), the T-45 i ...

NAS Meridian Naval Air Station Meridian or NAS Meridian is a military airport located 11 miles northeast of Meridian, Mississippi in Lauderdale County and Kemper County, and is one of the Navy's two jet strike pilot training facilities. History On July 16, ...

, Mississippi or

NAS Kingsville Naval Air Station Kingsville or NAS Kingsville (NASK) is a United States Navy Naval Air Station located approximately 3 miles east of Kingsville, Texas in Kleberg County. NAS Kingsville is under the jurisdiction of Navy Region Southeast and i ...

, Texas. A number of senior naval aviators in the rank of

commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain. ...

have also served as flying training squadron (FTS) commanders in the 71 FTW. Today, Student Naval Aviators only undergo primary T-6 training at Vance, transitioning to USN/USMC Strike jet pipeline, the USN/USMC/USCG multi-engine maritime pipeline, or the USN/USMC/USCG rotary-wing and tilt-rotor pipeline at respective naval air stations in Florida, Texas or Mississippi. All students practice basic patterns and landings at Kegelman Air Force Auxiliary Field located near

Cherokee, Oklahoma Cherokee is the largest city within, and county seat of, Alfalfa County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 1,476 at the 2020 census, a decline of 1.5 percent from 2010. History Settlement and founding After the land opening of 1893, ...

. Vance is considered the second busiest

RAPCON Air traffic control (ATC) is a service provided by ground-based air traffic controllers who direct aircraft on the ground and through a given section of controlled airspace, and can provide advisory services to aircraft in non-controlled airs ...

facility in the United States, behind

Nellis AFB Nellis Air Force Base ("Nellis" colloq.) is a United States Air Force installation in southern Nevada. Nellis hosts air combat exercises such as Exercise Red Flag and close air support exercises such as Green Flag-West flown in " Military Oper ...

. Nellis AFB is open 24 hours, but Vance AFB has more traffic per hour.

Major Commands

Gulf Coast Training Center Flying Division, Air Training Command, was a training formation of the United States Air Force. The unit was established in 1926 as the Air Corps Training Center to be the primary pilot training center for the Air Corps. It was reorganized int ...

(Air Corps), December 18, 1941 – January 23, 1942 * Air Corps Flying Training Comd, January 23, 1942 – March 15, 1942 * AAF Flying Training Comd, March 15, 1942 – July 31, 1943 *

Army Air Forces Training Command The United States Army Air Forces during World War II had major subordinate Commands below the Air Staff level. These Commands were organized along functional missions. One such Command was the Flying Training Command (FTC). It began as Air Corp ...

, July 31, 1943 – July 1, 1946 *

, July 1, 1946 – July 1, 1993 *

, July 2, 1993 – present

Base operating units

* 80th Air Base Sq, November 29, 1941 – June 13, 1942 * 80th Base HQ and Air Base Sq, June 13, 1942 – May 1, 1944 * 2518th AAF Base Unit (Pilot School, Basic), May 1, 1944 – February 4, 1945 * 2518th AAF Base Unit ilot School, Advanced-2E February 4, 1945 – September 26, 1947 * 2518th AF Base Unit, September 26, 1947 – August 26, 1948 * 3575th Air Base Gp, August 26, 1948 – November 1, 1972 * 71st Air Base Gp, November 1, 1972 – present 71ftw-aircraft

Major units assigned

* 60th Air Base Group November 29, 1941 – December 20, 1942 * 31st Flight Training Wing January 16, 1943 – May 15, 1945 * 2518th Army Air Force/Air Force Base Unit May 1, 1944 – August 28, 1948 * 3575 Pilot Training Wing August 26, 1948 – November 1, 1972 * 8600 Pilot Training Wing June 27, 1949 – May 28, 1951 * 71st Flying Training Wing November 1, 1972 – present * Enid Composite Squadron

Civil Air Patrol Civil Air Patrol (CAP) is a congressionally chartered, federally supported non-profit corporation that serves as the official civilian auxiliary of the United States Air Force (USAF). CAP is a volunteer organization with an aviation-minded mem ...

Mission

The 71st Flying Training Wing aims to train world-class pilots for the United States Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, and its allies and to prepare Air Expeditionary Force (AEF) warriors to deploy in support of the combatant commanders.

Based units

Flying and notable non-flying units based at Vance Air Force Base. Units marked GSU are

Geographically Separate Unit In the United States military a Geographically Separate Unit (GSU) is a base that is physically separate from, yet not autonomous of its "parent" base. GSUs are "owned" by their parent organization and are typically quite small. Assignment to a ...

s, which although based at Vance, are subordinate to a parent unit based at another location.

United States Air Force

(AETC) *

Nineteenth Air Force The Nineteenth Air Force (19 AF) is an active Numbered Air Force of the United States Air Force. During the Cold War it was a component of Tactical Air Command, with a mission of command and control over deployed USAF forces in support of Unit ...

(Host Wing) *** Headquarters 71st Flying Training Wing *** 71st Comptroller Squadron *** 71st Operations Group **** 3rd Flying Training Squadron –

****

8th Flying Training Squadron The 8th Flying Training Squadron is part of the 71st Flying Training Wing based at Vance Air Force Base, Oklahoma. It operates the T-6A Texan II aircraft conducting flight training. Mission Performs Joint Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Train ...

–

T-6A Texan II The Beechcraft T-6 Texan II is a single-engine turboprop aircraft built by the Raytheon Aircraft Company (Textron Aviation since 2014). A trainer aircraft based on the Pilatus PC-9, the T-6 has replaced the United States Air Force's Cessna T- ...

**** 25th Flying Training Squadron –

T-38C Talon The Northrop T-38 Talon is a two-seat, twinjet supersonic jet trainer. It was the world's first, and the most produced, supersonic trainer. The T-38 remains in service in several air forces. The United States Air Force (USAF) operates the most ...

**** 33rd Flying Training Squadron – T-6A Texan II **** 71st Operations Support Squadron **** 71st Student Squadron *** 71st Medical Group **** 71st Healthcare Operations Squadron **** 71st Operations Medical Readiness Squadron **** 71st Medical Support Squadron *** 71st Mission Support Group **** 71st Installation Support Squadron **** 71st Force Support Squadron **** 71st Security Forces Squadron

Air Force Reserve Command The Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) is a major command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force, with its headquarters at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. It is the federal Air Reserve Component (ARC) of the U.S. Air Force, consisting of commiss ...

(AFRC) *

12th Flying Training Wing The 12th Flying Training Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to Air Education and Training Command's Nineteenth Air Force. It is headquartered at Joint Base San Antonio, Texas. The wing is the parent organization for the 479th Flyin ...

340th Flying Training Group The 340th Flying Training Group is a reserve component of the United States Air Force. It is assigned to the Twenty-Second Air Force of Air Force Reserve Command, at Randolph Air Force Base, Joint Base San Antonio, Texas. The group is the head ...

*** 5th Flying Training Squadron (GSU) – T-1A Jayhawk, T-38C Talon, T-6A Texan II

References

Other sources

* * Manning, Thomas A. (2005), ''History of Air Education and Training Command, 1942–2002''. Office of History and Research, Headquarters, AETC, Randolph AFB, Texas * Mueller, Robert (1989). ''Active Air Force Bases Within the United States of America on September 17, 1982''. USAF Reference Series, Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. * Ravenstein, Charles A. (1984). ''Air Force Combat Wings Lineage and Honors Histories 1947–1977''. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. . * Shaw, Frederick J. (2004), ''Locating Air Force Base Sites, History’s Legacy'', Air Force History and Museums Program, United States Air Force, Washington DC. * Much of this text in an early version of this article was taken from pages on th
Vance Air Force Base Website
which as a work of the U.S. Government is presumed to be a

public domain resource The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work to which no exclusive intellectual property rights apply. Those rights may have expired, been forfeited, expressly waived, or may be inapplicable. Because those rights have expired, ...

External links

Vance Air Force Base
official web site

at GlobalSecurity.org
Vance AFB Installation Overview
fro
AirForceUSA.org
* * {{Authority control Installations of the United States Air Force in Oklahoma 1941 establishments in Oklahoma Buildings and structures in Enid, Oklahoma Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces in Oklahoma Airports established in 1941