Love is in the air .... Vance student pilot, IP couples love flying Published Nov. 28, 2006 By Tech. Sgt. M. Davis Public Affairs Vance Air Force Base, Okla. -- What makes a good marriage? For two Vance couples, it takes pilot wings and cupid wings to make a marriage fly. Learning to fly is a family affair for student pilot 2nd Lts. Jill and Nate Rogers of Class 05-08. They met during their freshman year at the Air Force Academy and were married June 7, 2003 shortly after their graduation. Although the 32nd Flying Training Squadron students share different interests -- Nate likes fishing and hunting, while Jill likes running and swimming -- the one thing they really love is flying. "We learn a lot from each other," said Jill, a native of Superior, Wis. "We have a lot of things in common to talk about. On the other hand, sometimes it's difficult because we see each other all day, everyday so at times it can be too much. We've been able to make it all work out so far." There is no student rivalry between the couple -- they take it all in stride. "Jill does better at academics," said Nate, who hails from Gunnison, Colo. "I am better at flying. We just try to help each other as much as we can, so we can both do our best." If you ask for Instructor Franks, you'll have to specify which one. Because at Vance, there are two instructor pilots with that name -- Capt. DeAnna Franks, 8th Flying Training Squadron, "C" Flight commander, and Capt. Tony Franks, 33rd FTS, "Q" Flight commander. And the last name is no coincidence -- they're married. The Franks met at a dance/social gathering during their freshman year at the Air Force Academy in 1996, and began dating that summer. Years later they became engaged after attending pilot training, but the wedding was pushed back by a series of events. "We planned to have our wedding in February 2002, but shortly after Sept. 11, 2001, our lives in the Air Force took a different turn," DeAnna explained. "He was flying B-52s at Barksdale Air Force Base, La., and I was flying C-130s from Little Rock AFB, Ark. We commuted three hours on the weekends to see each other." Seeing that their lives would only get busier, with multiple deployments for Operations Enduring and Iraqi Freedom, they quickly got married Dec. 31, 2001, but had a more formal ceremony July 13, 2002. Having a spouse in the same career field can be a blessing and a curse, Tony said. "It's easy to talk about work-related stuff and to get things off your chest, but it's difficult sometimes because your spouse understands all aspects of the job -- no sympathy," said Tony, a native of Lexington, S.C. DeAnna, agreed with her husband. "We do appreciate having the same job knowledge background (we are both new flight commanders). We share a lot of the same trials with students, but usually once we get home the topics relate to 'What's for dinner?' 'Do you want to walk the dog?' or church activities." Is there any friendly competition between the two? "No," Tony answered. "I fly the best." That sounded like a 'husband answer,' said DeAnna, who hails from Orlando, Fla. "Now that we fly the same aircraft (T-37s), it's nice to compare our flying and study together. The only time we've found it entertaining was during our initial instructor training," DeAnna explained. "We flew two formation flights against each other. He was leading us out to the area, and I was just three feet off his wing flying through a cloud layer. I remember he lifted his visor for a moment and looked back at his wingman -- me. It was odd seeing my husband's eyes behind a helmet and mask." The most important thing about their relationship is commitment. "Our loyalty, no matter what the road ahead has for us," Tony said. "I know we can do everything together."