The deal is not finalized, said Col. Mike Roberts, commander of the Springfield base. He hopes a final agreement could be worked out by the end of the year with potential pilot training starting in October, 2010.
“This would be a great thing for the community to maintain the full-time jobs that are there and would set us up to continue an F-16 flying mission there for the foreseeable future,” Roberts said.
It would help secure more than 100 existing full-time jobs, he said. The mission training U.S. pilots is scheduled to end next year as part of the Base Realignment and Closure process.
The Springfield base could train 12 to 14 students a year from Singapore to fly 10 leased U.S. Air Force F-16s if approved, Roberts said.
The proposed deal includes pilot proficiency training and related services such as training munitions, maintenance, fuel, parts and equipment, according to the Defense agency news release.
U.S. Rep. Steve Austria, R-Beavercreek, said his office has been working hard with the Air Force and Air National Guard to bring this mission to Springfield.
“It’s very important to maintain the jobs we have at the Springfield Air National Guard Base and it would be a tremendous boost for the community,” he said. “It would bring stability to the guard base.”
The Springfield base has trained about 14 pilots a year for the Royal Netherlands Air Force since 2007. That mission is scheduled to end in 2010, but Roberts said work is ongoing now to extend that.
The Springfield base has the airspace and training facilities for the international programs, Roberts said.
“It’s a good training location,” he said. “We can provide everything they need.”
Austria said the base has modern facilities with experienced pilots and crews, the support of the city and surrounding areas, and weather similar to what the foreign pilots face at home.
If secured, the Singapore program would be good for the community, Springfield City Manager Jim Bodenmiller said.
“At a time when Springfield and Clark County need jobs, keeping what we have is just as important as getting new jobs,” he said.
The Springfield base is open to training even more foreign pilots, Roberts said.
“We would like to see the mission grow if the demand is there,” he said.
Contact this reporter at (937) 328-0363 or ssommer@coxohio.com.
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