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Commemorative Air Force#History

{{short description|Nonprofit organization for preserving aircraft}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2013}}

{{Infobox organization

| name = Commemorative Air Force

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| formerly = Confederate Air Force

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| abbreviation = CAF

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| formation = {{start date|1961|09|06|df=y}}

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| location = Dallas, Texas

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The Commemorative Air Force (CAF), formerly known as the Confederate Air Force,{{cite web |url=https://apnews.com/206e1160ccf4795edf70eb707f4801c6 |publisher=Associated Press |title=Confederate Air Force may rename |date=November 18, 2000 |access-date=March 17, 2020 |archive-date=March 18, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200318053934/https://apnews.com/206e1160ccf4795edf70eb707f4801c6 |url-status=live }} is an American non-profit organization based in Dallas, Texas, that preserves and shows historical aircraft at airshows, primarily in the U.S. and Canada.

The CAF has about 13,000 members, more than 70 chapters, and more than 170 aircraft,{{cite web |title=OUR HISTORY & MISSION |url=https://commemorativeairforce.org/pages/About-the-CAF |website=Commemorative Air Force |access-date=11 July 2020 |archive-date=July 20, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200720005929/https://www.commemorativeairforce.org/pages/About-the-CAF |url-status=live }} including the world's largest collection of airworthy warbirds.{{cite web |title=MEMBERSHIP |url=https://commemorativeairforce.org/pages/CAF%20membership |website=Commemorative Air Force |access-date=11 July 2020 |archive-date=July 8, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200708065515/https://commemorativeairforce.org/pages/CAF%20membership |url-status=live }}

History

The origin of the Commemorative Air Force is the organization called the "Confederate Air Corps" created by Oscar Harper in Montgomery, Alabama, in 1953.{{cite news |last1=Morrow |first1=Thomas |title=Oscar Does a Big Business with Confederate Commissions |url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/372890166 |access-date=21 October 2024 |work=Chicago Tribune |date=1 February 1956 |page=6}}{{Failed verification|date=October 2024|reason=Reference does not establish a link with the modern day organization.}} Led by the fictional character "Thaddeus P. Throckmorton" and his recruiting officer "Jethro Culpepper", the CAC established several features that later became key characteristics of the CAF: folksy, tongue-in-cheek southern humor; a membership structure based on each member having the equal rank of colonel; and a rallying cry of "Semper, Mint Julep" ("Always Mint Julep").

File:North American P-51D Mustang, Commemorative Air Force JP7185281.jpg

In 1957, Lloyd Nolen and four friends purchased a P-51 Mustang called "Red Nose", splitting the $1,500 cost.[http://commemorativeairforce.org/?page=cms/index&cms_page=122 "CAF History."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110724203056/http://commemorativeairforce.org/?page=cms/index&cms_page=122 |date=July 24, 2011 }} Commemorative Air Force. Retrieved: April 3, 2011.{{cite web |author=Leatherwood, Art |title=COMMEMORATIVE AIR FORCE |url=https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/vtc01 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150910144936/https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/vtc01 |archive-date=September 10, 2015 |access-date=June 30, 2015 |publisher=Texas State Historical Association}} In 1958, the group made their second purchase: two Grumman F8F Bearcats for $805 each. Along with the P-51, this gave the pilots two of the most-advanced piston-engine fighters to see service with the U.S. Army Air Forces and the United States Navy.

In 1960, the CAF began to seriously search for other World War II aircraft. The CAF colonels were shocked to find that the aircraft which played such a major role in winning World War II were being rapidly and systematically scrapped as obsolete with no efforts, not even by the Air Force or Navy, to preserve any for display for future generations. The warbirds that remained airworthy were mostly in private hands modified for air racing or had been converted for commercial use as air freighters and aerial firefighters.

On September 6, 1961, the CAF was chartered as a nonprofit Texas corporation to restore and preserve World War II-era combat aircraft.{{cite web |url=http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/Commemorative-Air-Force-Moving-Headquarters-to-Dallas-257174091.html |title=Commemorative Air Force Moving Headquarters to Dallas |publisher=NBC |date=April 29, 2014 |access-date=June 30, 2015 |author=Associated Press |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304062429/http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/Commemorative-Air-Force-Moving-Headquarters-to-Dallas-257174091.html |url-status=live }} By the end of the year, the CAF owned nine aircraft. By 1963, the group had achieved their initial goal of acquiring one of each fighter plane operated by U.S. forces during World War II. They held their first airshow on March 10, 1963.{{cite web |url=http://airsho.org/ |title=AIRSHO |publisher=Commemorative Air Force |access-date=June 30, 2015 |archive-date=July 4, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150704123558/http://www.airsho.org/ |url-status=live }}

File:Boeing B-29 Superfortress (19926000422).jpg in the 1970s.]]

In 1965, the first museum building was completed at old Rebel Field, Mercedes, Texas. The CAF created a new Rebel Field at Harlingen, Texas, and moved there in 1968, occupying three large buildings including {{convert|26000|sqft|m2}} of museum space. By the end of the decade, the CAF fleet had added medium and heavy bombers such as the North American B-25 Mitchell, B-17, Consolidated B-24 Liberator. In 1971, they bought one of the two airworthy Boeing B-29 Superfortresses, FIFI.

In 1976, the CAF sponsored an air show in Harlingen, Texas in which a B-29 bomber piloted by Paul Tibbets, the pilot who flew the B-29 which bombed Hiroshima during World War II, reenacted the atomic bombing of Hiroshima (including a mock mushroom cloud). This air show prompted the Japanese government to lodge a formal complaint with the United States Embassy, resulting in the U.S. government issuing an apology.{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1976/10/15/archives/us-apologizes-to-japan-for-show-that-reenacted-hiroshima-attack.html |title=U.S. Apologizes to Japan for Show That Re-enacted Hiroshima Attack |newspaper=The New York Times |date=October 15, 1976 |access-date=March 14, 2019 |pages=10 |archive-date=July 9, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220709020422/https://www.nytimes.com/1976/10/15/archives/us-apologizes-to-japan-for-show-that-reenacted-hiroshima-attack.html |url-status=live }}

In 1983, the American Airpower Heritage Foundation was founded to financially support the CAF.

The group's accomplishments were recognized in 1989 with a National Aviation Hall of Fame Spirit of Flight Award.{{cite web |url=http://www.nationalaviation.org/SOF/ |title=Milton Caniff Spirit of Flight Award |publisher=National Aviation Hall of Fame |access-date=June 30, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150701051359/http://www.nationalaviation.org/SOF/ |archive-date=July 1, 2015 |url-status=dead}} That year, Texas Governor William Clements signed a resolution designating the CAF the air force of Texas.

In 1990, the CAF added two corporations. The first was the American Airpower Heritage Flying Museum, tasked with obtaining and maintaining the CAF's aircraft titles. The second was the American Airpower Heritage Museum, which acquired and maintained the CAF's non-aircraft pieces and static displays. In September 1990, CAF joined a statewide anti-littering campaign (Don't Mess With Texas), filming a low-level, high-speed pass of the B-17 Sentimental Journey on a mock bombing run of a highway-littering pickup truck, as part of a 30-second television spot.{{cite web |url=https://avgeekery.com/watch-you-dont-mess-with-texas-or-a-b-17g-flying-fortress/ |title=WATCH: You Don't Mess With Texas or a B-17G Flying Fortress |date=March 2, 2020 |access-date=July 31, 2023 |author=Walton, Bill |archive-date=August 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230801002317/https://avgeekery.com/watch-you-dont-mess-with-texas-or-a-b-17g-flying-fortress/ |url-status=live }}

File:That's All Brother May 2019.jpg was the plane that led the parachute assault on Normandy during D-Day.]] In 1991, the CAF moved operations to Midland, Texas, where the group opened the CAF Airpower Museum and the American Combat Airman Hall of Fame.

In April 2014, the CAF announced the move of their headquarters and all of the planes associated with the headquarters to Dallas Executive Airport in Dallas, Texas.{{cite web |url=http://www.aopa.org/News-and-Video/All-News/2014/April/29/CAF-HQ-moving-to-Dallas-Executive |title=CAF headquarters moving to Dallas Executive |publisher=Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association |date=April 29, 2014 |access-date=June 30, 2015 |author=Collins, Mike |archive-date=June 17, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150617072437/http://www.aopa.org/News-and-Video/All-News/2014/April/29/CAF-HQ-moving-to-Dallas-Executive |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/dfw/news/the-commemorative-air-force-relocates-to-oak-cliff/ |title=The Commemorative Air Force Relocates To Oak Cliff |publisher=CBS |date=April 29, 2014 |access-date=June 30, 2015 |author=Gillett, Bud |archive-date=October 15, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221015062222/https://www.cbsnews.com/dfw/news/the-commemorative-air-force-relocates-to-oak-cliff/ |url-status=live }} The museum and its artifacts (including the nose art collection) were moved to the new headquarters,{{cite web |url=http://cbs7.com/news/article_279a7c98-8185-11e4-8699-638fa7cff786.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20141228110331/http://cbs7.com/news/article_279a7c98-8185-11e4-8699-638fa7cff786.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=December 28, 2014 |title=CAF Announces Plans to Move Equipment, Museum Artifacts to Dallas |publisher=CBS |date=December 11, 2014 |access-date=June 30, 2015 |author=Rist, Matthew}} which it operates as the Henry B. Tippie National Aviation Education Center.

In 2015, the CAF acquired the C-47 That's All, Brother, the plane that led the parachute assault on Normandy during D-Day.{{cite web |last1=Bergqvist |first1=Pia |title=Return to the Front Line |url=https://www.flyingmag.com/c47-thats-all-brother-restoration/ |access-date=5 July 2020 |archive-date=July 5, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200705112847/https://www.flyingmag.com/c47-thats-all-brother-restoration/ |url-status=live }}{{cite web |title=Mission: Normandy |url=https://thatsallbrother.org/ |access-date=5 July 2020 |archive-date=July 22, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200722080012/https://thatsallbrother.org/ |url-status=live }}

=Accidents and incidents=

On September 28, 1995, a Martin B-26 Marauder operated by CAF crashed near Odessa, Texas, killing all five crew members.{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/113029937/vintage-crafts-luck-runs-out-on-eve-of/ |title=Vintage craft's luck runs out on eve of show |first=Cathy |last=Frye |newspaper=Odessa American |location=Odessa, Texas |page=1 |date=September 29, 1995 |access-date=November 13, 2022 |via=newspapers.com |archive-date=November 14, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221114021847/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/113029937/vintage-crafts-luck-runs-out-on-eve-of/ |url-status=live }} The NTSB found that the pilot failed to maintain minimum airspeed.{{cite news |url=https://www.boston.com/news/sports/2022/11/13/6-killed-after-vintage-aircraft-collide-at-dallas-air-show/?p1=hp_secondary |title=Investigation underway over midair crash at Dallas air show |agency=AP |website=Boston.com |date=November 13, 2022 |access-date=November 13, 2022 |archive-date=November 14, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221114021839/https://www.boston.com/news/sports/2022/11/13/6-killed-after-vintage-aircraft-collide-at-dallas-air-show/?p1=hp_secondary |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/19254/pdf |title=Aviation Investigation Final Report: FTW95FA406 |agency=National Transportation Safety Board |website=NTSB.gov |date=August 20, 1996 |access-date=November 13, 2022 |archive-date=November 14, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221114072611/https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/19254/pdf |url-status=live }}

On April 14, 2001, the CAF pilot of a Fairchild PT-19A was killed in a crash shortly after takeoff at Midland International Airport; the plane's one passenger survived.{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/113030640/authorities-continue-investigation-of-pl/ |title=Authorities continue investigation of plane crash that killed Midland man |newspaper=Odessa American |location=Odessa, Texas |page=1B |date=April 17, 2001 |access-date=November 13, 2022 |via=newspapers.com |archive-date=August 7, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230807045630/https://www.newspapers.com/article/113030640/authorities-continue-investigation-of-pl/ |url-status=live }} The NTSB cited the pilot's "failure to maintain airspeed which resulted in an inadvertent stall".{{cite web |url=https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/52066/pdf |title=Aviation Investigation Final Report: FTW01FA100 |agency=National Transportation Safety Board |website=NTSB.gov |date=April 18, 2003 |access-date=November 13, 2022 |archive-date=November 14, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221114071110/https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/52066/pdf |url-status=live }}

On May 14, 2001, both CAF crew members aboard a Vultee BT-13A died in a crash southeast of Odessa, Texas.{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/113030906/two-die-in-plane-crash/ |title=Two die in plane crash |newspaper=Odessa American |first=Scott |last=Freeman |location=Odessa, Texas |page=1 |date=May 15, 2001 |access-date=November 13, 2022 |via=newspapers.com |archive-date=November 14, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221114023236/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/113030906/two-die-in-plane-crash/ |url-status=live }} The NTSB found that the pilot failed to maintain minimum airspeed.{{cite web |url=https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/52257/pdf |title=Aviation Investigation Final Report: FTW01FA117 |agency=National Transportation Safety Board |website=NTSB.gov |date=August 26, 2002 |access-date=November 13, 2022 |archive-date=November 14, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221114054054/https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/52257/pdf |url-status=live }}

On June 16, 2005, a PT-26 Cornell operated by CAF crashed in Williamson, Georgia, killing both crew members.{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/113030195/caf-mourns-members-lost-in-georgia-plane/ |title=CAF mourns members lost in Georgia plane crash |first=David J. |last=Lee |newspaper=Odessa American |location=Odessa, Texas |page=1 |date=June 17, 2005 |access-date=November 13, 2022 |via=newspapers.com |archive-date=August 7, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230807045630/https://www.newspapers.com/article/113030195/caf-mourns-members-lost-in-georgia-plane/ |url-status=live }} The NTSB found that the pilot "attempted a takeoff with flaps extended."{{cite web |url=https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/61737/pdf |title=Aviation Investigation Final Report: ATL05FA098 |agency=National Transportation Safety Board |website=NTSB.gov |date=January 31, 2006 |access-date=November 13, 2022 |archive-date=November 14, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221114062601/https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/61737/pdf |url-status=live }}

On November 12, 2022, during the Wings Over Dallas airshow, two planes owned and operated by CAF—a Bell P-63F and the Boeing B-17G Texas Raiders—suffered a mid-air collision that killed six people.{{cite news |url=https://www.boston.com/news/national-news/2022/11/13/6-killed-after-vintage-aircraft-collide-at-dallas-air-show/ |title=6 killed after vintage aircraft collide at Dallas air show |first1=LM |last1=Otero |first2=Jill |last2=Bleed |agency=AP |website=Boston.com |date=November 13, 2022 |access-date=November 13, 2022 |archive-date=February 25, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230225052434/https://www.boston.com/news/national-news/2022/11/13/6-killed-after-vintage-aircraft-collide-at-dallas-air-show/ |url-status=live }}

Membership

{{as of|2020}}, the Commemorative Air Force had more than 13,000 members, in more than 70 regional groups, called wings or detachments, in 27 states and five countries.{{cite web |url=http://www.warbirdsnews.com/warbirds-news/warbird-collections/commemorative-air-force-news/director-operations-caf.html |title=New Director of Operations for the CAF |publisher=Warbirds News |date=June 22, 2015 |access-date=June 30, 2015 |archive-date=July 26, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150726122407/http://www.warbirdsnews.com/warbirds-news/warbird-collections/commemorative-air-force-news/director-operations-caf.html |url-status=live }} Several hundred members actively serve as pilots and flight and/or maintenance crew members committed to preserving American combat aviation heritage. The CAF is an all-volunteer organization, made up of members from all backgrounds. Membership is open to everyone age 18 or older, and cadet membership is available for those over 12 years of age. Although a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, tax-exempt group,{{cite web |url=http://www.commemorativeairforce.org/images/Financials/CAF_IRS_501c3_letter.pdf |title=CAF_IRS_501c3_letter.pdf |access-date=June 30, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923205644/http://www.commemorativeairforce.org/images/Financials/CAF_IRS_501c3_letter.pdf |archive-date=September 23, 2015 |url-status=dead}} the CAF has received financial incentives from state and local governments to move to Dallas and operate in Midland.{{Cite web |url=https://www.sao.texas.gov/SAOReports/ReportNumber?id=15-013 |title=Texas State Auditor's Office - Summary of Report 15-013 |access-date=October 24, 2016 |archive-date=October 25, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161025045341/https://www.sao.texas.gov/SAOReports/ReportNumber?id=15-013 |url-status=live }}{{cite news |url=http://www.oaoa.com/premium/article_95c86952-b63a-11e4-90c6-f316854fcf27.html |title=Commemorative Air Force Loses State Money |newspaper=Odessa American |date=February 17, 2015 |access-date=October 24, 2016 |author=Vanderlaan, Jon |archive-date=April 15, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170415010241/http://www.oaoa.com/premium/article_95c86952-b63a-11e4-90c6-f316854fcf27.html |url-status=dead }}{{cite news |url=http://www.dallasnews.com/news/news/2014/11/03/dallas-council-panel-backs-incentives-for-commemorative-air-force |title=Dallas council panel backs incentives for Commemorative Air Force |newspaper=The Dallas Morning News |date=November 3, 2014 |access-date=October 24, 2016 |author=Appleton, Roy |archive-date=October 24, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161024223116/http://www.dallasnews.com/news/news/2014/11/03/dallas-council-panel-backs-incentives-for-commemorative-air-force |url-status=live }}{{cite news |url=http://www.dallasnews.com/news/dallas-city-hall/2014/11/12/council-approves-relocation-grant-to-commemorative-air-force |title=Dallas City Council approves relocation grant to Commemorative Air Force |newspaper=The Dallas Morning News |date=November 12, 2014 |access-date=October 24, 2016 |author=Appleton, Roy |archive-date=October 24, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161024215401/http://www.dallasnews.com/news/dallas-city-hall/2014/11/12/council-approves-relocation-grant-to-commemorative-air-force |url-status=live }}

Organization

The American Airpower Heritage Group is the parent organization and is made up of four corporations:{{cite web |title=Dallas Executive Airport: Past, Present and Future |url=http://dallascityhall.com/government/Council%20Meeting%20Documents/2015/ECO_DallasExecutiveAirportPPF_110314.pdf |website=City of Dallas |publisher=Economic Development Committee |date=3 November 2014 |access-date=June 8, 2020 |archive-date=June 8, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200608004816/https://dallascityhall.com/government/Council%20Meeting%20Documents/2015/ECO_DallasExecutiveAirportPPF_110314.pdf |url-status=live }}

  • The Commemorative Air Force, the membership association
  • A foundation that controls the financial assets and endowment
  • A museum that manages the non-flying artifacts
  • A flying museum that operates the flying aircraft

Name

The original name, Confederate Air Force, alluding to the Confederate States of America, started as a joke about the organization's ragtag beginnings. As the collection of warbirds at Central Valley Airport in Mercedes, Texas, started to grow, one member painted the name on the side of the original North American P-51 Mustang Red Nose. The name stuck, and it grew to the point where the airport was renamed Rebel Field, all members were called "colonels" (a tradition which still remains), and it led to the creation of a fictitious leader named Colonel Jethro E. Culpepper. A blood chit written on the backs of flight suits and flight jackets stated, "This is a CAF aviator. If found lost or unconscious, please hide him from Yankees, revive with mint julep and assist him in returning to friendly territory. CONFEDERATE AIR FORCE."

Image:T6texantotero convert.jpg converted to resemble a Mitsubishi A6M Zero as flown by the Commemorative Air Force's Tora! Tora! Tora! group]]

In November 2000, the group voted to rename, using the initials "CAF" until a permanent name was selected. Following a 2001 membership vote, the group changed its name to "Commemorative Air Force", effective January 1, 2002. Many felt the name Confederate Air Force was confusing, did not accurately reflect the purpose of the organization, and was detrimental to fundraising efforts.[http://www.commemorativeairforce.org/news/2001/nr-01-1207.html "CAF News 2001 Press Release."] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927050333/http://www.commemorativeairforce.org/news/2001/nr-01-1207.html |date=September 27, 2007 }} Commemorative Air Force. Retrieved: August 14, 2007. According to CAF chief of staff Ray Kinney, "In many people's minds, the word 'confederacy' brings up the image of slavery and discrimination. We, in no way, are associated with that kind of stuff. So, it gives us, in a way, a black eye."{{cite news |title=Confederate Air Force adopts another name |url=http://amarillo.com/stories/2001/12/08/tex_confederate.shtml |access-date=18 August 2020 |work=Amarillo.com |agency=AP |date=8 December 2001 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161106095440/http://amarillo.com/stories/2001/12/08/tex_confederate.shtml |archive-date=6 November 2016}}

Aircraft

File:N61429 (7810308426).jpg markings]]

Image:B-24 'Diamond Lil'.jpg

File:B17 - Chino Airshow 2014 (framed).jpg tours annually from her base at Falcon Field in Mesa, Arizona.[http://www.azcaf.org/pages/aircraft_bios/B-17G_FlyFort.html Boeing B-17G "Flying Fortress"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090512173732/http://www.azcaf.org/pages/aircraft_bios/B-17G_FlyFort.html |date=May 12, 2009 }}.]]

File:North American T-6 Texan - Nella (07).jpg

{{As of|2022}}, the CAF owned 179 aircraft, a collection known as the CAF Ghost Squadron.[http://www.commemorativeairforce.org/info/facts.html "CAF Facts and Information."] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070703210227/http://www.commemorativeairforce.org/info/facts.html |date=July 3, 2007 }} Commemorative Air Force. Retrieved: July 22, 2007. Its aircraft range from the small Stinson L-5 Sentinel and Ryan PT-22 to the giant Boeing B-29 Superfortress; the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress; and the Consolidated Liberator B Mk I/B-24A Liberator AM927. Many of the CAF aircraft are rare; the CAF operates one of only two flying examples of the Boeing B-29 Superfortress, and the only remaining flightworthy Curtiss SB2C Helldiver. Others, such as the B-24/LB-30 Liberator; the Japanese Mitsubishi A6M Zero; and the Douglas SBD Dauntless are one of only two or three of that type left flying today. The CAF also operates Axis and Warsaw Pact aircraft such as the MiG 17 Fresco C.

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==AIRSHO==

File:CAFAirshowFormation.jpg

AIRSHO is a yearly event at Midland International Airport showcasing the CAF's aircraft. Because its aircraft tend to be spread out over large geographic distances, and most Ghost Squadron aircraft rarely fly more than a few hours from their home base, AIRSHO is also an opportunity for CAF members to meet up. Ghost Squadron aircraft usually attend AIRSHO every other year. The CAF AIRSHO is the largest warbird air show in the world, with more than eighty warbirds flying per show.{{citation needed|date=June 2015}}

Wings and squadrons

The CAF has more than 80 wings and squadrons. Starting in 2013, a limited number of larger units may be designated as an "airbase." The first is Airbase Arizona, located at Falcon Field in Mesa, Arizona and redesignated in June 2013. Most CAF units are in the United States, but there are three outside the country.

=US wings and squadrons=

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  • Alabama
  • Birmingham – Birmingham Escadrille{{cite web |url=https://commemorativeairforce.org/units |title=CAF Unit Map |publisher=Commemorative Air Force |access-date=June 10, 2024 |archive-date=May 20, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240520230044/https://commemorativeairforce.org/units |url-status=live }}
  • Tanner – Rocket City Wing
  • Alaska
  • Anchorage – Col Hunt Alaska Wing
  • Arkansas
  • Little Rock – Razorback Wing
  • Arizona
  • Mesa – Airbase Arizona at Falcon Field
  • California
  • Camarillo – Southern California Wing
  • Modesto – Central California Valley Squadron
  • Riverside – Inland Empire Wing
  • Upland – FM-2 Wildcat Sponsor Group
  • Colorado
  • Broomfield – Mile High Wing
  • Grand Junction – Rocky Mountain Wing
  • Florida
  • DeLand – Florida Wing
  • Lakeland – Tampa Bay Wing
  • Pensacola – Floribama Wing
  • Georgia
  • Peachtree City – Airbase Georgia
  • Indiana
  • Indianapolis – Indiana Wing
  • Iowa
  • Council Bluffs – Great Plains Wing
  • Kansas
  • Kansas City – Heart of America Wing
  • Wichita – Jayhawk Wing
  • Louisiana
  • Hammond – Bayou State Escadrille
  • New Orleans – Big Easy Wing
  • Minnesota
  • Red Wing – Red Tail Squadron
  • South St. Paul – Minnesota Wing
  • Mississippi
  • Madison – Mississippi Wing
  • Missouri
  • St. Charles – Missouri Wing
  • Montana
  • Bozeman – Big Sky Wing
  • Nevada
  • Reno – High Sierra Squadron
  • New Hampshire
  • North Hampton – New England Wing
  • New York
  • Wappingers Falls – Hudson Valley Wing
  • New Mexico
  • Albuquerque – Lobo Wing
  • Ohio
  • Marysville – Buckeye Wing
  • Oklahoma
  • Enid – Lady Liberty Squadron
  • Guymon – Cimmaron Strip Wing
  • Oklahoma City – Sierra Hotel Sponsor Group
  • Tulsa – Spirit of Tulsa Squadron
  • Rhode Island
  • Westerly – Sea Control Squadron
  • South Dakota
  • Sioux Falls – Joe Foss Squadron
  • Tennessee
  • Lebanon – Music City Wing
  • Memphis – Delta Blues Squadron/Memphis Squadron
  • Texas
  • Aransas Pass – Maxine Flourney 3rd Coast Squadron
  • Burnet – Highland Lakes Squadron
  • Conroe – Gulf Coast Wing
  • Corsicana – Coyote Squadron
  • Dallas – P-40 Sponsor Group
  • Dallas – Training Squadron One (TRARON)
  • Dallas – WASP Squadron
  • Dallas – B-29/B-24 Squadron
  • Fort Worth – Bucket of Bolts Sponsor Group
  • Fort Worth – Invader Squadron
  • Gainesville – Ground Forces Detachment
  • Georgetown – Devil Dog Squadron
  • Granbury – Comanche Peak Sponsor Group
  • Houston – Houston Wing
  • Lancaster – Dallas/Fort Worth Wing
  • Marshall – Lone Star Wing
  • Midland – Blastards Detachment
  • Midland – High Sky Wing
  • Midland – West Texas Wing
  • Odessa – Desert Squadron
  • Pearland – Tora Sponsor Group
  • San Antonio – Tex Hill Wing
  • San Marcos – Centex Wing
  • Utah
  • Heber – Utah Wing
  • Virginia
  • Culpeper – Capital Wing
  • Washington
  • Everett – Rainier Squadron
  • Richland – Day's Pay
  • Wisconsin
  • Superior – Lake Superior Squadron
  • Waukesha – Wisconsin Wing
  • National units
  • EOD Detachment
  • Marshalling Detachment
  • Security Detachment

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=International wings and squadrons=

  • France
  • Saint-Ange-le-Viel — French Wing
  • New Zealand
  • Auckland — New Zealand Wing
  • Switzerland
  • Olten — Swiss Wing

References

=Notes=

{{Reflist|30em}}

=Bibliography=

{{Refbegin}}

  • {{cite news |last1=Hillinger |first1=Charles |title=Air Force With Time Machines |url=http://www.newspapers.com/newspage/385297799 |access-date=11 May 2022 |work=Los Angeles Times |date=2 November 1979 |pages=1–2 |archive-date=May 11, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220511020345/https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/385297799/ |url-status=live }}
  • Ogden, Bob. Aviation Museums & Collections of North America. London: Air-Britain, 2007. {{ISBN|0-85130-385-4}}.

{{Refend}}

External links

  • {{commonscat-inline}}
  • [http://www.commemorativeairforce.org/ Commemorative Air Force] official site
  • [http://www.aerialvisuals.ca/Airframes.php#TheList Aerial Visuals Search Commemorative Air Force]
  • [http://airnav.com/airport/5XS6/ AirNav], [http://flightaware.com/live/airport/5XS6 FlightAware] - Old Reb Airport information

Category:United States military aircraft

Category:Air shows in the United States

Category:Aviation organizations based in the United States

Category:Museum organizations

Category:Historical societies in Texas

Category:Organizations based in Dallas

Category:1957 establishments in the United States