VANCE AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. — As Col. Corey Simmons enters the last few months of his time as commander of the 71st Flying Training Wing at Vance Air Force Base, he sees a base well-situated to continue its operations for years to come.
Over the last several years, a series of infrastructure improvements — started under former base commander Col. Darrell Judy and continuing under Simmons — have sought to upgrade Vance’s infrastructure to meet increased Air Force demand for pilot production.
Last year, Vance exceeded its pilot production goal, making it the only primary pilot training base in the Air Force’s Air Education and Training Command to do so. Vance had a target last year of 364 pilot graduates and graduated 372.
To keep up that production, Simmons said a lot of members of Team Vance have been working hard to improve and expand base infrastructure.
“In my 18 months here, we’ve moved the ball pretty far forward on those fronts,” Simmons said, “to make sure Vance is here and ready to perform its mission for a very long time.”
Runway projects top priority
Col. Anthony Smith, Mission Support Group commander at Vance, said runway projects remain at the top of the priority list at Vance.
“Runways are always near and dear to our heart, due to our mission,” Smith said.
A $40 million refurbishment of the outside runway was completed in fiscal year 2019, along with a $7.8 million refurbishment of the inside runway and taxiway lighting at the start of fiscal year 2020, which began in October.
Next on the slate, and the biggest project by far, will be a complete replacement of the center runway, with an expected price tag of about $60 million, including design costs.
Initial evaluation was completed last year, and a full project design by the Army Corps of Engineers is in progress. Smith said he expects work to begin on the runway replacement in early 2021 and to take about a year to 18 months to complete.
While that work is in progress, Smith said Vance will maximize use of its inside and outside runways and rely heavily on Enid Wooding Regional Airport to keep up its pace of operations.
“That’s why Woodring is such a valuable asset,” Smith said, “not only for the city but also for Vance.”
Power agenda
Vance also currently is working to upgrade the base’s power distribution grid to better withstand Oklahoma weather.
“Our current power system is above-the-ground power lines, and that’s not necessarily great for Enid, or Oklahoma in general, where you have lots of wind and lots of ice,” Smith said. “That has been a challenge in the past for us.”
Smith said the Air Force funded an $8 million project in fiscal year 2018 to place the base’s power lines underground and to upgrade the system’s circuitry.
That project is now about 71% complete, Smith said, and is expected to be finished by the end of September.
Water needs
Vance also is planning a project to replace all the water lines on the operations side of the base. Smith said most of those lines have been there since the base was built in the 1940s and while the water remains safe its quality is “not where we would want it to be.” Water lines in base housing were added much later and are in much better shape, Smith said.
To address this need, the base already has funded a $460,000 chlorine booster system to improve water quality until the line replacement project can be completed.
Smith said that project, which will include replacing the base water tower, will carry a price tag of about $16 million and should begin in fiscal year 2022.
Pilot training center
Finally, Vance has plans to build a new Consolidated Undergraduate Pilot Training Center to expand classroom, briefing and support space needed for increased pilot production.
In fiscal year 2019, the base moved in a modular, leased facility. Plans are to build a permanent structure in fiscal year 2023, with an expected cost of $67 million.
Secrets to success
Smith said all those projects together will help ensure Vance continues to not only meet but exceed its current and future mission goals.
“This past year, Vance Air Force Base proved itself — that we not only have the people who are focused enough to exceed our goals but we also have the innovative airmen we need and the infrastructure is there to support them,” he said. “We’re making sure our base is very well positioned to do what we do, to do our primary mission, which is to deliver pilots.”
As he prepares for his change of command, Simmons said the infrastructure projects, planned and in progress, put the base in good shape for his successor, Col. Tim Danielson, who is scheduled to assume command of the 71st Training Flying Wing at Vance on June 29.
“The bottom line,” Simmons said, “is what we’ve tried to do since I’ve been in command, along with commanders before me, is to set up Vance for success for many years to come.”
———
©2020 the Enid News & Eagle (Enid, Okla.)
Visit the Enid News & Eagle (Enid, Okla.) at www.enidnews.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
