Thirty five-plus students from the Oxnard High School Aviation Academy visited the aircraft at the museum.
In 45 minutes the group got a good insight into various aspects of aviation and our warbird
The docents were impressed with the enthusiasm and engagement level of the student. “I wish they taught us this (history of WWII aircraft) in schools”, said a junior student.
We look forward to having them visit us again.
The annual Model Fest gathering at the CAFSoCal hangars was another great success.
With a variety of vendors representing a multitude of modeling interests, the well attended event was a crowd pleaser.
Mark your calendars for the 2019 Modelfest
Sunday February 24, 2019.
The annual maintenance requirement for the SNJ has been completed. It is once again available for rides!
If you have any questions about a ride in this lovable war bird, call our museum (805) 482-0064
During the annual maintenance on the AT-6 SNJ, a surprise signature was found behind the air filter on the engine.
In 1954, Dorothy Gardner took a moment to place her name on the inside of the air intake!
She’s been flying along with 290 all these years!
It’s likely others had noticed this signature on the old bird before, but many if not most of us were not aware it existed.
What a fantastic find. A real connection to all the people that have played a part in this warbird’s history.
Thank you Dorothy, we’ll keep her flying for you!
And he’s already got the right gear.
Mickey’s visit to the museum was a real treat. And it wasn’t too hard getting him out of the cockpit…, really, it wasn’t!
UNFORTUATELY– We must cancel this event.
It will be rescheduled in the Future, so look for it on our schedule.
The Trainers presentation video is posted below.
The presentation was one of our best attended in the series.
Don’t miss the next one:
Living History Presentation:
Pacific Air War
June 9, 2018
11AM-2PM
CAF SoCal Hangars at Camarillo Airport
On Saturday April 14th, CAF SoCal hosted an event focused on the PT-19 Cornell and including several other pivotal military trainers from the WWII era. We had a group of our pilots talk about their training experiences in the PT-17 Stearman, the PT-19 Cornell, and the AT-6/SNJ Texan and our unit Historian, Ron Fleishmann, outlined the history of CAF SoCal’s Fairchild PT-19 Cornell.
Here’s a great video produced by Newbury Park High School senior Aaron Rohrer, highlighting Commemorative Air Force Museum Southern California Wing as a part of his hometown of Camarillo.
In this documentary, Aaron gives a brief overview of the museum from the perspective of current volunteers featuring the PBJ with stories about the plane and what it means to the museum.
Although we don’t all relish the idea of being in front of the camera, we were pleased to make ourselves available to Aaron and feel he did a great job showcasing our museum and volunteers.
Thanks for sharing the video Aaron, and good luck with your future endeavors!
CAF SoCal volunteers marked a very successful 2017 with a well attended Holiday Party.
The highlight of the celebration was a presentation by Cpt. Charlie Plumb and Dick Rutan.
Charlie gave a very captivating and inspiring speech in his usual style focused on overcoming adversity and the importance of a selfless attitude.
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.
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.
