Future pilot…
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!
The Trainers
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.
student produced video documentary on the wing
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!
Holiday Celebration
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.
WWII Veteran visits 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.
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.
Veterans Day Flyover
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.
We were privileged to have Verne Horton, a veteran of VMB 611 aboard the PBJ for the flight.
It was the best time of my life…
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:
Aviation Career Day
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.
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:
Gone West
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.
CAF HQ Airshow Report
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:
Videos from the show will be appended here shortly.