Latest News

Jason Somes has acquired the cockpit section of a MiG-21 fighter which is now available to the visitors at the museum. The engine is from a L-29 which will soon occupy our museum and it is flyable.

The aircraft section is currently on a trailer but is available for visitors to see up close and to sit in the cockpit.

Further details about this aircraft’s origins and lineage will be forthcoming; however, when pressed for details Jason did confirm that the color is silver. What else would we want to know?!

Our New Hangar is progressing nicely.  Electrical is almost complete. Framing of work areas and bathrooms is progressing nicely. Stay tuned for further updates and a date for the dedication ceremony.

On December 5th 2015, CAF SoCal volunteers organized and conducted an event at the museum to commemorate Pearl harbor Day.

The event was well attended by the public including a surprise appearance by a Navy veteran who lived through the events of Dec 7th, 1941 at Pearl Harbor!

Follow this link for more details, photos and videos.

Many thanks to all the volunteers who planned and conducted this event. Besides the speakers Robert Herberg, Ron Fleishman and Ricky Chen, there were many other nameless volunteers who make events like this possible – from setting out chairs, to moving aircraft – thanks to you all!

The Commemorative Air Force has organized a fundraising campaign for some worthy Warbirds.

CAF SoCal is pleased to have had two of our aircraft chosen for this effort.

Follow the links below to donate to the cause, or see how the fundraising effort is going.

Help bring CAF SoCal’s C-46 Commando back to the Ventura County Skies.

Our venerable SNJ “290” has been grounded for too long! Pitch-in to get her flying again!

Included amongst lots of activity at the museum on Saturday was a visit by the Vintage Corvettes of Southern California.

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The sound of the engines from these vintage cars and their sleek lines sure fit in nicely with our own heavy metal.

The spirited group also enjoyed their tour of the museum before their photo op.

Thanks for choosing to join us at CAF SoCal!

After just too many months to mention, the F-24 was rolled out onto the ramp today for an engine test.

You can be sure it was “all hands on deck” to watch and hear the Ranger L-440-3 breathe life again.
She sure looks good in the sunshine!

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The U.S. Dept. OF The Interior, Bureau of Land Management has received the copyright to the DVD of the documentary “The Sands of War” and has approached CAF SoCal for assistance with publicizing and distributing the documentary.

From the Sands of War website:
“Take a trip back in time to 1942 when 18,000 desert square miles from Pomona, California to Phoenix Arizona were used as a training center for 1 million young Americans. General George Patton saw the desert as ideal training grounds for soldiers engaged in large-scale tank and infantry maneuvers against the Nazi Afrika Korps in the North African desert. Well placed roads and outlines of the eleven camps can be seen from the air, and artifacts from a time gone by on the desert floor. Many of the artifacts were carried away, taking a part of the story with them. When visiting the desert historic sites, please leave all artifacts as you found them, for the enjoyment of those who follow you. To see historical displays about the camps visit The General George S. Patton Memorial Museum located at Chiriaco Summit.”

The documentary will air on KOCE PBS SoCal  as follows:

• Tuesday, Nov. 10 at 7:30pm,
• Wednesday, Nov. 11th at 1am, and
• Saturday, Nov. 14 at 9:30pm.

Over the past weekend you may have noticed an extraordinary number of aircraft flying formation in the skies over Ventura County.

What we witnessed was a gathering of warbirds as part of the Mentor-West Fly-in and Veteran’s Salute formation flights over Santa Barbara.

Seventeen aircraft, including seven T34 Mentors, seven CJ-6 Nanchangs, AAF’s B25 “Executive Sweet” as well as CAF’s own F6F Hellcat “Minsi III” and Kevin Moore’s P51-D “Miss Kandy” (based in Zamperini Field, Torrance, CA) took part in fly-bys, formation flights and missing-man formations over the Santa Barbara Veterans Parade on Sunday November 8th.

CAF SoCal is proud to have served as home-base for assembly of these aircraft. Our thanks go to all those who volunteered and participated to put on a spectacular display in honor of our veterans.

The following behind-the-scenes and flying pictures do not entirely capture the magnificent flying and all the hard work that went into organizing a safe and dazzling display.

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On Friday October 30th, the 2015 Aviation Career day was hosted at the CAF SoCal museum hangars by Ventura County Ninety‐Nines, Experimental Aircraft Association Chapter 723, Ventura County Career Education Center, SBBCollege, California Aeronautical University, Channel Islands Aviation, CP Aviation, Ventura County Department of Airports and Scofield Catering.
Over 300 attendees spent the morning learning about various facets of the aviation industry.

CAF SoCal is proud to have been chosen as the location for this important event where high school students in Ventura County gathered to learn about various aviation careers available in this growing industry. Students had the opportunity to speak to aviation industry professionals, military professionals, pilots, and aviation schools. In attendance were representatives from SkyWest Airlines, Sun Air Jets, Air Traffic Controllers, UAV industry professionals, Civil Air Patrol, US Air Force, Channel Islands Air National Guard, US Navy, flight schools such as CP Aviation and Channel Islands Aviation, as well as local Colleges including CSU Channel Islands, Mount San Antonio College, Spartan College, and the new California Aeronautical University.

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We’d also like to extend our gratitude to the tireless CAF volunteers for their dedication to the museum in helping make events such as this possible.