There also will be maintenance equipment installed at Woodring that would allow for repairs, such as engine changeout and gear replacements.Ĭurrently when severe weather is imminent, military aircraft are moved out of the area, even to other states. It also will reduce the overall wear and tear of the runways at the base. It will help create a more efficient training regimen for pilots, as it will reduce travel time and fuel use of planes taking off from Vance, doing maneuvers and heading back to the base. The joint-use hangar will allow more military aircraft to be stationed at Woodring and add shelter for those aircraft. It’s projected that a portion of Vance’s T-1s will be based at Woodring during reconstruction of the runway. If the hangars aren’t used by private aircraft, Vance will have the option to lease the hangars. The hangar upgrades will allow the accommodation of up to 10 T-6s, 11 T-38s or nine T-1s. The upgrades will help alleviate areas that are prone to flooding and will increase the space for parking military aircraft. Oklahoma Finance Authority has gifted the city of Enid around $1.5 million in state funds, and another $1.6 million from the Defense Community Infrastructure Program has been gifted. The ramp is in various stages of deteriorating, which creates debris that comes up with the comings and goings of planes. The Woodring upgrade will include reconstructing the south ramp and south hangar. This highlights the importance of the Air Education and Training Command missions at Vance. In 2021, Woodring had 51,600 airport operations, take offs, landings or touch-and-goes, 40,600 of which were military aircraft. Work on the projects could begin as soon as September or October and could take around 18 months to complete. Cooper said it will only strengthen the relationship between the community and the base. The new runway will help Vance do what it does best: train new pilots. “Once that middle runway is complete, it’s like having a fourth runway at Vance, only it’s 4-5 miles due east of the base. “Without having to go to an alternative base, they can do all their work right there on that plot, so they won’t miss a beat. “That helps them hugely with an increase in mission capability and reducing costs because of all the movements that they do,” Cooper said.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |