The Enid News and Eagle reports that Vance AFB, Okla., has the second busiest airfield in the Air Force and one of the lowest flying safety mishap records. According to the Enid, Okla. Newspaper, the 71st Flying Training Wing flies about 87,000 hours every year. The wing suffered its last Class A mishap in September 2000. Reporter Jeff Mullin talked with Maj. Paul Cory, chief of Flight Safety at Vance, who explained that his staff talk with both pilots and maintainers to get at the “root cause” of aircraft problems.
When an E-3 Sentry battle management aircraft was damaged in an Iranian attack on Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia, it sparked a host of questions about one of the Air Force’s oldest, smallest, but most critical fleets. Experts say the service doesn’t have many options to answer those questions.