VANCE AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- On March 8, 2025, Vance Air Force Base achieved a significant milestone by successfully executing uncontrolled airfield operations.
For the first time in the base’s history, aircraft returned from cross-country training sorties without approach control or communication with Vance tower personnel.
“We wanted to increase our wing capabilities and show what was possible,” Capt. Ryan Wall, 71st Operations Support Squadron flight commander said when asked about the recent achievement.
Vance is the third busiest airfield in the Air Force, supporting over 50,000 sorties annually. As part of the 71st Operations Support Squadron, air traffic controllers and radar approach control personnel work tirelessly to ensure safe operations.
The ability to return aircraft to Vance without direct communication with the airfield improves ATC and RAPCON members’ quality of life by giving them back additional time, reducing extra weekend work and mitigating manning shortfalls for the men and women who execute the busy day-to-day operations at Vance.
Uncontrolled operations also provide pilots with a unique training opportunity of operating in a “degraded” environment to prepare them for any scenario they may face in the future.
“Our main challenges were developing the Standard Operating Procedures and creating training materials,” said Wall. “We couldn’t just use a template. We had to get people to think outside the box.”
After nine months of preparations, 15 aircraft returned from their cross-country missions, landing at Vance without any planned communication from Vance radar or tower personnel while the airfield was uncontrolled.
As an undergraduate pilot training base, Vance prepares students for the many scenarios they may encounter in the Air Force and the training received at undergraduate pilot training is the foundation for success in their follow-on aircraft.
Wall’s operating mindset was clearly evident during the execution of this mission. “Just because it hasn’t been done before, doesn’t mean we can’t do it here.”