Published: June 13, 2009 11:14 pm         

Many student pilots first must become part of casual lieutenant program

The more than 400 students who come to Vance Air Force Base each year for pilot training hail from all parts of the country with different backgrounds and educational credentials.

But they all have one thing in common — a burning desire to fly.

Before they fly, however, many of those young officers become part of the casual lieutenant program at Vance — which places them in different Air Force jobs around base, wherever they are needed, until their pilot training begins.

So, instead of flying, for a time these young officers find themselves doing everything from answering phones to writing articles for the base Public Affairs office.

2nd Lt. Ian Morris spent his casual time as assistant to the executive officer of the 71st Operations Group. 2nd Lt. Kendall Brown is working in the base education office, while 2nd Lt. Lynn Aird works for base Public Affairs. Morris’ casual duties have already ended and he is scheduled to begin pilot training June 30. Both Brown and Aird are set to begin their training in July.

All three perform a variety of duties in their respective offices.

“It’s kind of a Jack or Jill of all trades thing,” said Aird. “Whatever the office needs, you do.”

All three have been in their respective offices long-term, which isn’t always the case with casual lieutenants.

“I expected to just do kind of odd jobs around the base whenever we were needed,” said Morris, a Virginia native.

“You never know how long you will stay with a specific office, because they might not need you anymore,” said Aird, who is from New York City.

The experience, the lieutenants said, has given them a new insight into how the Air Force works.

“I learned a lot about what happens if you get in trouble in pilot training,” Morris said with a chuckle.

“I have been able to use the time to better prepare myself, getting some exposure to what I’ll soon be in,” he added on a more serious note.

“You certainly do meet a lot more people on the base than you probably would,” said Aird. “I have had interaction at all levels, from airmen to the wing commander, just because of the casual job that I have. It’s been a great experience.

“It gives you a side of things that we wouldn’t necessarily have encountered this early in our careers.”

“I get to see pretty much everyone on base,” said Brown. “It’s a small community. I get to see a lot of the dependents, too.”

Brown, who is from Bloomfield, N.M., had a prior stint in the Air Force as an enlisted airman. Thus she is a good fit for her casual job in the education office.

“I knew the educational benefits,” she said. “I came over here and told them I could do the enlisted commissioning briefs because that’s what I did. It’s helped them out that they really didn’t need to train me.”

“I think that’s something good about the casual office,” said Aird. “They try to put people where they can be the most useful on base.”

Of course the ultimate reason all casual lieutenants are at Vance is to go through pilot training. That is never far from their minds.

“I think we’re all anxious to start,” said Morris, “that’s why we’re all here.”

“I am excited about starting, but if you think too far ahead then you’re not going to focus on the job that you have to get done,” Aird said.

“You see the planes flying over all day and you wish you were out there, too,” Brown said.

Aird said she is sure she will miss her colleagues in Public Affairs. They, it seems, will miss her, too.

“We’ve jokingly threatened Lieutenant Aird more than once about making her a Public Affairs officer instead of a pilot,” said 1st Lt. Agneta Murnan, Vance’s Public Affairs chief. “That’s because her communication talents, quick thinking and leadership have been of such benefit to our office and our mission for these seven months. We wish her much luck in her training and beyond.”