Vance Reservists continue proud legacy started 60 years ago

  • Published
  • By Capt. Tony Wickman
  • 71st Flying Training Wing Public Affairs
VANCE AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. --  The Air Force Reserves celebrated its 60th birthday April 14, and a proud part of that legacy is Team Vance's own 5th Flying Training Squadron.

On April 1, 1997, the 5th Flying Training Flight was officially designated as an associate unit at Vance, flying as part of the 25th Flying Training Squadron. In 1998, it became a full-fledged squadron supporting all of the other flying training squadrons to produce world-class pilots for America's Armed Forces and its allies.

"Our mission is to train and provide a reserve of experienced instructor pilots to augment the 71st Flying Training Wing instructor cadre," said Lt. Col. Kevin Kallsen, 5th FTS commander. "During wartime, or in the event of hostilities, the unit is mobilized to offset the anticipated loss of experienced active duty pilot inputs into Air Education and Training Command's pilot instructor training pipeline. In brief, our job is to fill the holes so the wing mission continues."

Since the standup of the unit, Air Force Reservists have done various jobs throughout the operations group and wing.

"We've had our people hold jobs like chief of wing safety, 25th FTS and 32nd FTS director of operations, flight commanders, as well as worked in wing plans, operations group standardization and evaluation, operations group functional check flight and much more," the lieutenant colonel said. "Our Reservists also deploy from Vance to places like Central Command headquarters, Afghanistan, Egypt, Djibouti, Ramstein and Iraq. Some have supported the Tanker Airlift Control Center at Scott Air Force Base, Ill., and North American Aerospace Defense Command Continental Region (CONAR) at Tyndall AFB, Fla., for Operation Noble Eagle."

With a little less than 100 people assigned to the 5th FTS, or about 13 percent of the 71st Operations Group's instructor pilot force, the unit accomplished 17 percent of the 55,950 sorties in 2007.

"We pull our share of the load here at Vance. Our people are 37 percent of squadron supervisors, 44 percent of supervisor of flight, 50 percent of the functional check flight and 21 percent of check flight instructor pilots," the commander said. "If you look at our numbers and how much we accomplish, I think it's safe to say the Air Force is getting 'bang for the buck,' and we are an integral part of the wing. If you took us out of the units, the active duty would have to pick those duties up. It would be tough to get the mission done without additional manpower."

The reservists also provide valuable continuity to active-duty personnel rotating into the wing.

"We have people with diverse backgrounds and a lot of experience that new pilots can rely on. On average, our people have 16 years of experience, 3,200 flight hours - of which 1,500 are instructor hours - and have operational experience in several airframes," the commander said. "That number is skewed because some of our people have 8,000 and 9,000 flight hours while a new captain in the unit traditionally has about 1,500 hours. Regardless, we've seen a lot and have experiences that we can share with the active-duty component to help them in their job."

Reserve duty is appealing to many unit members because of the stability it provides while allowing them to continue to serve their country.

Senior Master Sgt. Wayne Andersen, 5th FTS superintendent and the unit's house captain each year for the Christmas in Action program, chose reserve duty because of family.

"I spent 14 years on active duty and after returning from two years overseas, I wanted more stability for my family. Since then, all three of my kids attended and graduated from one high school instead of having to move during their high school years. Also, my wife didn't have to leave a good paying job every three to four years to start over somewhere else," Sergeant Andersen said. "As Active Guard Reserves, we are a little more in control of our career and assignment choices, which made joining the 5 FTS desirable." 

The duty isn't easy, though.

"It takes a herculean effort for our people to balance their reserve duty, civilian jobs and family life. These men and women are real patriots and go above and beyond to do their duty," said Lieutenant Colonel Kallsen, who was recently selected for promotion to colonel and reassignment to the 340th Flying Training Group at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas. "If you take a reservist who is the average airline pilot, he or she will work 18 days per month for the airlines, work seven days here, leaving them five to six days for their family lives. That shows the kind of commitment and sacrifice they are making for their country.

"The typical reservist has a feeling of commitment and a desire to serve their country. They are here because they love it ... they love teaching students, they like the mission and they like being here."

The reservists here provide other tangible benefits because of their long-standing ties to the community.

"Our people live and work here in the community and are involved in several organizations," said Lieutenant Colonel Kallsen. "We have people involved in Christmas in Action, Flight of Dreams and the Booker T. Washington Community Center to name a few."

Christmas in Action is a non-profit organization that partners with a community to repair homes of low-income elderly and or disabled home owners. Flight of Dreams is a unit program with local fifth grade students that uses aviation as a basis to motivate students in various areas of learning and teaches them how to turn dreams into goals. Also, unit members raise money each year to purchase Christmas gifts and food for community center youths.

For Lt. Col. Darren Siegersma, 5th FTS training officer, participating in these programs is a way to give back to the area.

"I've been here since the squadron stood up and many or our members are involved in the Enid community. They do it because of their sense of community," Lieutenant Colonel Siegersma said. "We've sponsored a house for Christmas in Action for the past five or six years and 20 to 30 people from the squadron help. It's a chance to give back to our community and to those who may be unable to help themselves."

The unit was the first Reserve Associate program in Air Education and Training Command, and has two distinct chains-of-command. Through the administrative chain, the unit reports to the 340th FTG to 10th Air Force to Air Force Reserve Command. Through the operation chain, the unit reports to the 71st FTW to 19th Air Force to AETC.

The 5th FTS takes its heritage from the 5th Pursuit Squadron (Interceptor) that was established on Jan. 15, 1941, at Selfridge Field, N.Y.