Final page turns on Vance Airscoop

  • Published
  • By Capt. Tony Wickman
  • Public Affairs
Vance Air Force Base, Okla. --  After more than 56 years of service to Vance Air Force Base, the Airscoop closed down operations Thursday with an impressive list of accomplishments and events it reported on about the mission and people of the base. The final copies of the Airscoop were delivered this morning to the base.

Today may be a new day, with Vance news going digital, but the past week felt very much like the end of an era and the closure of a long and proud tradition.

According to Frank McIntyre, chief of internal information and three-year Airscoop staff member, the Airscoop retirement is both somber and necessary.

"The newspaper business has changed a lot over the past years and those changes have always been dictated by advancements in technology," he said. "Now technology offers the option of getting the news to our readers in a faster, more efficient manner than in the past and, as with other Air Force programs across the board, doing more with less dictates we take advantage of that option.

"Although we don't have resources available to continue the Airscoop, we are fortunate that our publisher, the Enid News & Eagle, will continue providing a similar news product you can hold in your hands and read," said the veteran of more than 40 years in photojournalism. "That product, called "The Scoop," begins publication and delivery on base the first week of January. There will be an online version of that publication as well."

While the printed version of the Airscoop marches into history, the mission of providing news and information to the base will go on for the base' s public affairs office. Instead of a printed newspaper, official news and photos will be posted to the base's public web site.

It is difficult to say goodbye to a mainstay, but change is a constant that everyone must deal with. Perhaps a poignant example of how things change, yet remain the same, is the story of the T-6 here at Vance.

Looking at the July 14, 1950, issue of the Airscoop, a front page headline was, "T-28 Trainers to Replace T-6 at Vance AFB." Fifty years later, on March 18, 2005, the Airscoop reported that the base celebrated the arrival of the first student T-6A Texan II.

A constant throughout the base's existence was the mission. From its start as an Army Air Corps-only pilot training base to today's Joint Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training base churning out top-notch aviators for the U.S. and its allies, Vance has taught young people to fly military airplanes in the skies over the Oklahoma plains.

Looking through archives of old stories and photos, a person can grasp the immense history of success that Vance achieved. From presidential visits to new airplanes, from old graduates who went on to greatness to new graduates preparing to go on to forge their own destinies, from the Korean War to the Global War on Terrorism, the Airscoop was there to witness it all.

The Airscoop was the eye that fixed the reader's attention on the changes to the base, Oklahoma, America and the Air Force. By browsing through stories, photos and advertisements, readers were updated on news and things that were happening ... a peek into history so to speak.

Examples of what was news then but history now include:

The August 4, 1950, Airscoop: a story and ads on the base celebrating its second anniversary as Vance; a page entitled 'Women's Page" to talk about weddings and spouse's clubs activities; and, an ad from Edd's Grocery & Market selling steak at 59 cents a pounds.

The May 9, 1974, Airscoop: stories announcing President and First Lady Nixon visiting the base the next day; a story about the base's dining in; and, an ad for a 1972 Porsche 914 Roadster for $3,995.

The November 2, 1990, Airscoop: stories announcing Gen. Merrill McPeak's confirmation as the new Chief of Staff of the Air Force and Defense Secretary Dick Cheney confirming more troops were going to Saudi Arabia for Operation Desert Shield; a story on Vance Enlisted Appreciation Night; and, an ad from Cliff's Camera & Video for a 35mm camera for $319.95.

For more than 50 years, the Airscoop kept the base informed and recorded history.
With the retirement of the Airscoop, Team Vance members will now get their official news from the base's public web site. The base's new website, to be launched at the beginning of the year, will be modeled after the Air Force's web site, www.af.mil. The new web-based delivery system will give public affairs the flexibility to get news and information directly related to the 71 Flying Training Wing's mission and people out in a timely manner with fewer resources.

It is time to say goodbye to the Airscoop and welcome the new digital age of news information at Vance, with an eye on news and a peek into history.