End of a Naval-pilot training era at Vance

  • Published
  • By Navy Cmdr. Steve M. Grant
  • 8th Flying Training Squadron commander
VANCE AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. --  In 1988, the United States Navy and the United States Air Force were faced with updating their aging fleet of training aircraft and quickly realized the cost saving benefits of a Joint Primary Aircraft Training System.

The Beechcraft T-6 Texan II and Joint Primary Pilot Training were the end result of the procurement program that ensued.

Since 1996, more than 1,700 Naval and Marine Corps aviators began their flying careers training over the skies of Enid; flying with their brothers and sisters in Air Force blue.

Aug. 27, 2012, marked the end of Joint Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training for the United States Marine Corps when 1st Lt. Daniel Ouellette finished primary training and departed Vance Air Force Base.

Sadly, this month will mark the end of primary training at Vance for aspiring Naval aviators as well.

This decision comes with a heavy heart and seems to have more to do with today's fiscal constraints and the services' tireless efforts to trim operating cost than anything else.

One thing is clear, the Navy and Air Force still embrace as well as place a strong emphasis on joint and combined training. As such, the two services will continue the exchange of instructor pilots at Naval Air Station Whiting Field, Fla., and Vance.

These aviators will continue to build relationships today that will last them a lifetime and the mindset "train like you fight" will live on in the primary joint training environment.

The leadership positions that are currently rotated between the Navy and Air Force at both locations will revert back to the host service. I will be the last Naval commanding officer of the 8th Flying Training Squadron.

It is an honor and privilege to lead any organization and I can tell you without a doubt that I am a better pilot and better officer because of my time at Vance.

I showed up here two years ago thinking I knew what it meant to operate in a joint environment from my time working on the staff at U.S. Central Command, MacDill AFB, Fla.

I quickly realized how wrong I was after being fully immersed into the rules and regulations of Air Education and Training Command and the United States Air Force. The learning curve was steep, especially for someone who has spent their career in the Navy.

There are stark differences between all the services, but the one thing I have always found common among them all is the amazing people who choose to serve this great nation.

The joint environment has blessed me with the opportunity to bolster great friendships among my peers. It has given me the opportunity to lead our best and brightest and to impart some of my Navy culture on the base as well as the local community.

I have watched the future of our Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force work side by side leading and learning. I am comforted knowing that we will continue joint pilot training.

After all, if an old aviator set in his ways can adapt and become a better officer and aviator, imagine what this experience will do for future military aviators who will someday work together in a joint and combined war-fighting effort over hostile skies.