cafsocal

We were thrilled to have a visit from Thomas Stieglitz, WWII veteran of Operation Torch and the American campaign in Italy. Tom served as a crew chief on Spitfires as well as Mustangs.

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At 96 years young, Tom has a great memory of his wartime experiences all those years ago and was kind enough to spend a few minutes of his time at the museum in an unscripted interview.

It was a privilege and a pleasure to meet Tom and we look forward to seeing him with us again.

Members and aircraft from CAFSoCal, Mentors West, Tiger Squadron, Lyon Air Museum, Estrella Warbird Museum and other warbird groups participated in a flyover of the Santa Barbara Veteran’s Parade on November 12.

In addition to being an spectacular sight, the event was a moving reminder of the need to honor all those who have served their country through the Nation’s conflicts.

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We were privileged to have Verne Horton, a veteran of VMB 611 aboard the PBJ for the flight.

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On November 10th, we had the honor to meet 1st Lt. Arthur T. Vincent, B25 pilot, veteran of the USAF in WWII and Korea.

His family had brought Art to the museum as a surprise, and it seemed it stirred a lot of memories for him.

We’d like to take this opportunity to salute veterans of all nationalities who served their conscience and their country honorably, and extend our sincere prayer that such sacrifices will not be asked of future generations.

Playlist of other veteran interviews:

Another fantastic event held at the CAF SoCal hangars  for all high school students in Ventura County to learn about various aviation careers available in this growing industry. 

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Hosts, to name a few, included Ventura County Ninety-Nines, Ventura County Career Education Center, California Aeronautical University, SBBCollege, Experimental Aircraft Association Chapter 723, Commemorative Air Force SoCal Wing, Channel Islands Aviation, CP Aviation, Ventura County Department of Airports …

This video captures just a small number of participants and the excitement at this all-day event:

This week  we celebrated the life of and said goodbye to our dear friend Bob.

Lt. Col. Robert Chaverez, USAF (Ret.) has “gone West”.

A veteran of the Vietnam War in F4 phantoms, winner of the Bronze Star (for ground combat!) and an aeronautical engineer, Bob was one of the most beloved CAF members, both at the Wing and by the public. He was a tour docent until he was not longer physically able. Bob was always available for lectures to schools, civic groups, and veterans gatherings, including Memorial Day commemorations in Camarillo, Oxnard and Ventura.

It was an honor to have him in our organization and call him a friend. He will be dearly missed. 

The PBJ and a crew of 11 volunteers attended the Wings Over Dallas Air Show last weekend, October 6 – 8,  2017.

To say the CAF Headquarters Airshow in Dallas was a fantastic event would be an understatement. With B29 FiFi, two B17s, six B25s, two A26s and a host of WWII fighters and transport aircraft participating in the show, there was constant activity for three days at the airshow.

We may be biased, but the PBJ was quite a popular attraction and the crew was kept busy full time answering questions, giving aircraft tours and signing up riders. Jason Somes and Charlie Robertson were at the controls of the PBJ and we were specially pleased to have our own Mike Hohls be drafted for duty aboard B-25 “Show Me!” That meant we could take particular pride in two of the Mitchells being put through their paces at the show.

There was no need to bring any of the PBJ merchandise back home either. Any folks who couldn’t get a ride at the venue are looking forward to a SoCal vacation for their ride, or hoping for us to return to the airshow in Dallas in 2018. We certainly hope to be there again. The HQ staff and volunteers, specially all the ground and support crews were super accommodating – we could not have been as successful without their help.

Thanks for a great show Dallas.

See you in 2018.

Some photos of the aircraft participating in the event:

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Videos from the show will be appended here shortly.

Why does Tom Hardy, dressed here as an RAF pilot look so sad?

Effective Sunday April 15, the CAF SoCal museum will be open to the public on Sundays again with the limited hours of 12-4 PM

You can visit the museum and see the airplanes Tuesdays through Saturdays 10AM-4PM and we’re closed as usual on  Mondays and major Holidays are .

Living History Presentation:
The AT-6 trainer

Saturday, September 30th, 11AM-2PM

Presentation Video

Several hundred thousand pilots earned their wings in the North American AT-6 Texan, also called the SNJ by the Navy, or the Harvard by the RAF.

Introduced just prior to World War II, the Texan served 34 countries over a 25-year span.  Nearly every Allied  World War II pilot learned to fly in the T-6. This venerable aircraft proudly earned its nickname, “The Pilot Maker.”  

On Saturday, September 30th, CAF SoCal  hosted an event focused on what many consider the greatest military trainer. 

Experience living history.

The 2017 edition of Wings Over Camarillo was a great success.

Beautiful Southern California weather and fantastic warbirds. What more could you ask for? And the crowds were proof, that this was as good as it gets!

Thanks to the tireless work of our maintenance crew almost all of our fighters participated in the aerial displays. This included the Zero, with a newly replaced tail cone – so new in fact that there was no time to get it painted. Although, some are lobbying we leave it in natural aluminum to highlight the constant work these warbirds need. The P51 Man’O’War made a triumphant return to the skies as well. With a newly overhauled Merlin engine and propeller she’s sounding sweeter than ever. Last but not least, the PT19 also got a chance to show off its new covering and paint – same as before, just fresh and slick.

And let’s not forget the Hellcat, Bearcat and YAK3. What a show.

Other non-CAFSOCAL aircraft and displays rounded out a fantastic event and we encourage you to visit the official Wings Over Camarillo website for more information about those participants.

Special mention goes to the fantastic ground crew who worked long hours martialing aircraft around, keeping things safe and generally getting things DONE. The show would not have been possible without them.

Below, you’ll find a small section of photos from the airshow. We’ll add more images and videos as they become available.

See you next year!

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The 2017 Wings Over Camarillo Airshow marked a bittersweet occasion for the members of CAFSoCal.

After 25 years of flying with the CAF, our dear friend Gary Barber had announced his retirement from airshow performance flying. We were thrilled to be present and watch Gary one more time behind the controls of the F8 Bearcat. Although he will be missed in future airshows, Gary plans to stay active with CAFSoCal, turning wrenches and helping to keep our aircraft flying – and his flying days are still not over, he has simply decided to join the rest of us as spectators in airshows, rather than keep sweating in the cockpit of the aircraft.

In 1955, Gary joined the California Air National Guard at 17  as a mechanic and later flew F86s with the ANG out of Ontario. Following his service with the USAF, Gary went on to a full career of 3 0 years with American Airlines and retired late 1990s, becoming active with the CAF. Gary flew our SNJs, C46, Bearcat, Hellcat and Mustang for over 25 years.

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A great pilot and great guy, Gary loves flying and we loved watching him fly.

It was a privilege for all to be present and shake Gary’s hand after his final performance at the home Airshow.