Vance Air Force Base

Vance Air Force Base is a United States Air Force installation located in southern Enid, Oklahoma. Construction of the base began on July 12, 1941, and it was officially activated on November 21, 1941, initially as the Air Corps Basic Flying School. During World War II, it was known as Enid Army Flying School or Woodring Field and served as a primary pilot training facility, graduating 9,895 pilots by January 1947 when it was deactivated. The base was reactivated on August 1, 1948, as Enid Air Force Base, and renamed Vance Air Force Base on July 9, 1949, in honor of Lieutenant Colonel Leon Robert Vance Jr., a World War II Medal of Honor recipient.

The host unit at Vance AFB is the 71st Flying Training Wing (71 FTW), which operates under the Air Education and Training Command (AETC). Its mission is to train pilots for the United States Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, and allied nations. The base utilizes various aircraft for pilot training, including the Beechcraft T-6 Texan II for primary training, the T-1A Jayhawk for students designated for tanker, transport, or large reconnaissance aircraft, and the T-38C Talon for fighter and bomber pilots. Joint training with the United States Navy and Marine Corps began in 1996. Vance AFB is also home to the 3rd, 8th, 25th, and 33rd Flying Training Squadrons, as well as the 5th Flying Training Squadron (Air Force Reserve Command). The base features three runways with different surfaces and is considered the second busiest RAPCON facility in the United States by traffic per hour.