Welcome to the 117th Air Refueling Wing located at Sumpter Smith Joint National Guard Base in Birmingham, Ala. The 117 ARW can trace its roots back to a World War I era flying club. The Birmingham Flying Club, also known as the Escadrille's, was the seventh federally recognized flying squadron on January 21, 1922 by the United States War Department.

The 117 ARW flies the Boeing KC-135R Stratotanker. We train and equip combat ready aircrews and support personnel to perform worldwide aerial refueling and airlift missions. Combat ready civil engineering, support services, medical, personnel, communications and intelligence technical support UTCs are available for worldwide assignment. Our unit supports state and local contingencies when directed by the Governor of Alabama.

Financial News:  Parents did you know you no longer estimate income on the

FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid)? Applicants now use

"prior-prior-year" information from tax returns that have already been filed

- for example, the 2016 tax return will be used for the 2018-19 school year.

A copy of the FAFSA Calendar is given below.

FAFSA Calendar

Academic Year                        FAFSA Application Season                   Base Year

for Income

7/1/2016  to 6/30/2017            1/1/2016  to 6/30/2017                              2015

7/1/2017 to 6/30/2018            10/1/2016 to 6/30/2018                              2015

7/1/2018 to 6/30/2019            10/1/2017 to 6/30/2019                              2016

Source: Cappex.com

Lisa J. Gamble, AFCR, MBA, RICPR

Personal Financial Counselor

Cell: 205-612-7316

Email: PFC.AL.NG@zeiders.com