Team Vance bids T-37s a Tweet farewell

  • Published
  • By Frank McIntyre
  • Public Affairs
Vance Air Force Basem Okla. --  Vance Air Force Base's 46 year association with the T-37 came to an official end Friday with a ceremony at the Vance Club.

As members of the Silver Talon honor guard folded the flag to mark retreat's end, Capt. Bryan Yeargan, 33rd Flying Training Squadron, unfolded tail number VN688041 T-37 from a four-ship formation to mark a Vance Tweet's last flight over the base.
The retreat ceremony and fly-by followed a T-37 departure ceremony in the club ballroom.

Col. Douglas Troyer, 71st Operations Group commander, welcomed the attendees, which included members of Class 62-F, the first class to train in the T-37.
Jim Malachowski, 71st Flying Training Wing historian, narrated his multi-media presentation that traced the T-37 from its design stage through its long history with the Air Force and Vance.

The T-37 was produced by Cessna and was the company's first jet aircraft produced. it was also the Air Force's first jet trainer.

Mr. Malachowski's presentation included interviews with Team Vance members with a history of service with the aircraft that was known for its high-pitched whistle.

"History is about people," Mr. Malachowski said. "We are here to say farewell to an aircraft frame, but it's a machine. People use machines to accomplish a mission, and fill the pages of history. That's what we do at Vance, use machines to accomplish a mission -- training pilots to fly and fight."

He concluded his presentation with a memorial to the seven pilots who perished in 11 T-37 crashes while assigned here. Among the seven were a female pilot and a Navy ensign.

The fly-by that brought the ceremony to a conclusion featured a four-ship formation of T-37, T-6, T-38 and T-1. After the first pass, the T-37 flown by Capt. Yeargan peeled off, headed to the Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Center, Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz.

On the second pass, an additional T-6 replaced the departing Tweet in the formation to represent the four flying training squadrons here; T-6s from the 8th and 33rd, a T-38 from the 25th and a T-1 from the 32nd.