Building 500 gets new look Published Aug. 6, 2008 By Stephen M. Fuller 71st Flying Training Wing Public Affairs VANCE AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- A three-dimensional display of Vance AFB's flying history is a project nearly complete. The project included a circular display case in the lobby of Bldg. 500 at Vance AFB, Okla. Built in the 1990's, the case was meant to hold a statue showcasing Vance's past, present and future. That statue is not visible to the Enid community in its downtown square. In its place stand 11 model airplanes, each a smaller version of their larger counterparts that once flew at Vance. Jim Malachowski, former 71st Flying Training Wing historian, took 15 pictures of each air plane, whether they are still flying today, or on static display around Vance. He then sent the pictures to Motion Models, Fla. The B-25 Mitchell is the only plane that is not on static display at Vance. Old photos from the time the plane flew at the base were sent to the company. The company produced the model aircraft parts and they were sent back for assembly at Vance. Mr. Malachowski then drew sketches of how the models were to be displayed. Lonnie Gillespie, a retired Air Force Master Sergeant, received the sketches and attached the models to pieces of steel he had cut and painted. His portion of the project took about two days. After the models were attached, he placed them in a circle on top of the display case, in order of their operation at the base. The three training planes currently used at Vance, the T1, the T6, and the T38, were placed in the center. Two planes, the TB-26 and the BT-13/BT-15, have yet to be added to the display. Their completion will be the culmination of this 10-year project.