Vance | Twenty-five students receive Air Force wings, continue flight training at Vance Published Aug. 8, 2023 71st Flying Training Wing Public Affairs VANCE AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. – Twenty-five students in Undergraduate Pilot Training Class 23-13 received their wings during a ceremony held Aug. 4 at Vance Air Force Base. Having completed their initial aviation training in the T-6A Texan II, the newly pinned pilots will continue in either the T-1A Jayhawk or the T-38C Talon training aircraft at Vance. The guest speaker at the Class 23-13 graduation ceremony was Air Force Col. John Masterson, the 97th Operations Group commander at Altus Air Force Base, Oklahoma. Masterson was the commander of the 3rd Flying Training Squadron at Vance from August 2018 to May 2020. The Class 23-13 award winners were: Capt. Conor Dillon received the Academic Award and was named a Distinguished Graduate; Capt. Paul Renart also received the Academic Award; Capt. Timothy Goff received the Leadership Award; 2nd Lt. Sam Delacruz received the Flying Training Award, the Air Education & Training Command Commander’s Trophy and was named a Distinguished Graduate; 2nd Lt. Steven Moran received the Top Wingman Award. Also receiving their pilot wings during the ceremony were: Capts. Weston Elias, Ronald Malloy; 2nd Lts. Abigail Allgauer, Justin Billingsley, Tyler Blythe, Jonathan Buschman, Cody Crowder, John Davidson, Alexander Gauthier, Zackery Gross, Haley Jones, Kaitlyn Kane, Brian Lam, James Miranda, Michelle Montagna, Caden Norder, Timothy Perea, Jonathan Soferr, Zachary Stoll and James Walker. Vance has graduated 35,756 pilots since training began in 1941.