We are happy to host this year’s KHAY FEST!
KHAY FEST returns to Camarillo Airport Saturday April 12th, 2025! Featuring performances by: Justin Moore LOCASH Dillon Carmichael Plus MORE to come! Tickets go on-sale Tuesday February 18th! Join us for a full day of Country Music, Food Trucks, Vendors, Beer Garden, Cornhole, Photo-ops, Kids Activities & HUGE dancefloor with line dancing!
More information can be found here: FEST INFO
Friday April 11th, Saturday April 12th, and Sunday April 13th for the KHAY Festival – our museum and all facilities will be taken over for set up and breakdown of this event on Saturday. For information about the event, if you’d like to come, can be found here: KHAY FEST
Easter Sunday, April 20th, our museum and all facilities will be closed so our hard working volunteers can have a day of rest and celebration.
February 1945, one of only 957 production Mk XIVs is delivered to number 33 Maintenance Unit at RAF Lyneham for combat preparations. Missing the war in Europe, serial number NH749 is assigned to the RAF Southeast Asia Command, ultimately being sold to the Indian Air Force in 1947. On Saturday February 22nd of this year, the Commemorative Air Force Southern California Wing at the Camarillo Airport celebrated our Spitfire’s 80th birthday with a presentation chronicling it’s history and discussing extensive maintenance efforts to improve its engine cooling system. Thank you for joining us to hear of the long history and challenging maintenance efforts of SoCal’s Spitfire Mk XIV.
Thank you for coming out – and thank you for your support to help us “Keep ’em Flying”
Each year the CAF holds an annual fundraiser to help support and highlight aircraft projects for planes in need of restoration, maintenance or repairs. Donors may contribute to a specific aircraft project or to the CAF’s Restoration Grant Fund.
We are excited and honored to have our beloved Bearcat included in this special event!
In 2018, the we began a comprehensive restoration on the F8F Bearcat. When the pandemic hit, progress was halted for nearly two years. When restrictions were lifted, a group of highly skilled volunteers from the Wing reconstituted and resumed work. This group has meticulously restored this aircraft ensuring it meets historical accuracy and airworthiness standards. Now, in the critical phase of reassembly and painting, the Southern California Wing needs your support to finish up its final exterior work.
For more information and to donate today, visit the link here: F8F Bearcat -12 Planes of Christmas
The Commemorative Air Force Southern California Air Wing Camarillo is proud to announce our first-ever scholarship for teens and young adults to help their aviation dreams take flight. The scholarship application is currently closed to new applications, but please check back for status on the next time it becomes available.
Due to the Mountain Fire and its significant impact on Camarillo and nearby communities, the CAF Southern California Wing at Camarillo Airport is postponing the “Shot Down” presentation initially scheduled for Saturday, November 9, 2024.
While we were looking forward to sharing this WWII-themed event, the circumstances demanded our focus elsewhere.
We are working with the guest speaker to reschedule “Shot Down” soon, so please check our website and social media for updates.
Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone affected by this emergency.
Thank you for your understanding, and we look forward to having you at our next presentation.
Thank you for coming out for the career day!
More info can be found here: VC99s.org
What: Aviation Career Day for Ventura County High School and Middle School Students
When: 9:00 to 1:00 on Friday, October 18, 2024
Where: Commemorative Air Force Museum – Camarillo Airport, 455 Aviation Drive, Camarillo, CA
Why: An event for High School and Middle School students to learn about various aviation careers available in this growing industry. Students will have the opportunity to speak to aviation and aerospace industry professionals, military professionals & recruiters, pilots, aviation schools, drone professionals, aerospace engineers, and more. Many different types of aircraft will be on display and there will also be hands on activities.
Highlights: Make Garbage Fly Contest with a twist: Students bring their glider made from recycled materials and compete for prizes. See updated rules here: www.facebook.com/vcaviationcareerday
Drone Cage with hands on flying
Fly Overs with vintage WWII Aircraft. Demonstrations of the VC Fire Airport Crash & Rescue Truck
More Hands On Exhibits and Fun Things to Do and See
Check out this video of a previous Career Day made by the CAF: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCDTJyr3pwQ&feature=youtu.be
Hosts: Ventura County 99s, Commemorative Air Force SoCal Wing, California Aeronautical University, EAA Chapter 723, CP Aviation, Ventura County Department of Airports, and Ventura County Career Education Center
More info can be found here: VC99s.org
Thank you for coming out to see our presentation honoring the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Leyte Gulf and about one of the most important aircraft of the related air battles, the F6F Hellcat, and the highest scoring Navy ace of WWII, David McCampbell.
The largest naval battle of World War II and by some criteria the largest naval battle in history. The carrier-based fighter with the highest kill ratio of any aircraft, ever. Third overall and the top scoring naval ace of WWII. Sounds like the Battle of Leyte Gulf. On Saturday October 26th the Commemorative Air Force Southern California Wing at the Camarillo Airport will conduct a presentation commemorating the 80th anniversary of this historic engagement. The discussion will include the four major components of the larger battle and the air war that raged over the surface actions, a dive into the magnificent Grumman F6F Hellcat and the role it played in the battle, and a look at the intense Pacific Theater combat experiences of David McCampbell, Commander of Air Group-15 aboard the USS Essex during this momentous clash of titans.
Thank you for your help to “Keep ’em Flying!”
B-29 Doc History Restored Tour to Land in Camarillo, CA in October
Thank you for coming out to join us and see this amazing and historic aircraft – Doc did not disappoint!
Here’s Doc on approach: https://youtube.com/shorts/cjOvz2P4dLU
And here is Doc after engine start: https://youtube.com/shorts/9906PHqMoY4?feature=share
B-29 Doc, one of 1,644 B-29 Superfortress aircraft built by the Boeing Company in Wichita, KS, during World War II, is one of only two remaining B-29 aircraft still airworthy and flying today. The historic warbird will be available for ground and cockpit tours, as well as B-29 Doc Flight Experience rides while in Camarillo.
“Camarillo has a rich history of World War II and Cold War-era aviation that contributed greatly to the defense of our nation,” said Josh Wells, B-29 Doc executive director. “That history is kept alive by the CAF Southern California Wing thanks to the dedication of its members, who keep a collection of 14 WWII-era aircraft alive to showcase the history of our nation and honor those who fought to defend freedom at home and abroad. That’s what the B-29 Doc History Restored Tour is all about: Honor. Educate. Connect. Bringing B-29 Doc to Camarillo to partner with the CAF SoCal mission means furthering our joint-ability to keep history alive and flying for generations to come by giving people a unique opportunity to get up close and personal with history.”
For more information, visit: https://www.b29doc.com/b-29-do
For more information about the CAF SoCal Wing, visit: www.cafsocal.com
On the web: www.b29doc.com and www.cafsocal.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/B29DocsFriends
Thank you for coming out to see our presentation with Retired Navy Captain Brett Crozier. The video replay is below.
Retired Navy Captain Brett Crozier graduated from the United States Naval Academy and embarked on a thirty-year career in the Navy, flying dozens of combat missions over Iraq and leading at the highest levels of operational command. He served as the Commanding Officer of a combat F/A-18 strike fighter squadron and ultimately commanded the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt before retiring from the Navy in 2022. On Saturday September 14th the Commemorative Air Force Southern California Wing at the Camarillo Airport will host Captain Crozier as he takes us on the grand adventures of his extraordinary career and introduces the incredible people he met along the way. Copies if his book “Surf When You Can” will be available. The event will conclude, weather, operations, and maintenance permitting, with CAF SoCal conducting a ride flight in their PBJ. Come hear Captain Brett Crozier share his inspiring lessons from a lifetime of honor, service, and leadership.
Thank you for your support to Keep ’em Flying!
