80th FTW breaks ground for new operations complex

  • Published
  • By John Ingle
  • 82nd Training Wing Public Affairs
SHEPPARD AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  Personnel and honored guests officially broke ground for a new operations complex Dec. 3 at the 80th Flying Training Wing, marking the beginning for a modern, state-of-the-art facility to train NATO's future combat pilots.

Construction of the approximately $15.5 million venture should be complete by April 2012. Air Education and Training Command has funded $1.5 million of the project.

After the ceremony, Col. Kevin Schneider, commander of the 80th FTW, spoke about how this new facility will help maximize training at the Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training Program. He described the current operations facility as one built in the 1950s primarily for storage. But the facility became home to operations for pilot training, and at one point the staging facility for a B-52 Stratofortress during the Cold War.

"We're getting a lot out of it, but it's not as efficient or capable as it should be," the colonel said. "This facility, the new operations group facility," will take several functions of the 80th Operations Group "and consolidate them all under one roof."

The 50,000-square-foot facility will house the 80th OG command section, as well as the standardization and evaluation functions, scheduling, and training. The facility will also include academic classrooms for student training and office space for instructors.

Although the flying training squadrons will not be in the new facility, the wing is working on a plan to put the five flying squadrons and the Reserve associate squadron in a separate Flying Training facility.

"This structure will cost approximately $45 million and we are working with 19th Air Force and AETC to have this established as a priority for the Air Force," Colonel Schneider said.

The colonel said ENJJPT, in his opinion, is the world's best undergraduate pilot training program in the world. He said the facilities are adequate, but they don't equal the prestige of the program.

"I'm very grateful to see that the facilities are starting to grow and match to what we do with the human capital that we have here every day," Colonel Schneider said.

Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, was also on hand to help usher in the new era for the operations group. The senator said it's important for our NATO partners to see the United States is committed to providing quality infrastructure to ensure the NATO alliance continues to strengthen.

"The training facility here, with our NATO allies, has been so successful in the past," Senator Hutchison said. "But, we aren't going to sit back on our laurels. We're going to keep improving and building the facilities that allows the NATO people to know how important this mission is and we are going to make sure it is state-of-the-art for the future."

Not only does the 80th FTW train pilots from the United States and partner nations, but it is also the only flying training wing in AETC to conduct undergraduate and pilot instructor training as well as Introduction to Fighter Fundamentals.