The PBJ and crew put in another great airshow appearance, this time at the 2017 Skyfair in Everett Washington, at the Flying Heritage and Combat Armor Museum.

The aircraft performed flawlessly for the 5 hour flight from Camarillo to Everett – a testament to the skill and hard work put in by the PBJ crew.  And the same crew set to the task of cleaning and presenting the PBJ to the public. The PBJ looked great on the ramp, next to the FHCAM B25 and Mosquito as well as visiting Corsairs, Hellcat, Bearcat to name a few.

Here are a few images and a video clip from the event:

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We are pleased to announce that the PBJ will be flying up to Everett, Washington on July 20th through 23rd to participate in the Flying Heritage Museum’s annual Skyfair airshow where the aircraft will be made available for rides as the airshow schedule permits.

Reserve your seats now to experience a ride aboard  the PBJ

Friday 7/21 @ 9:30 AM, 3:00 PM, 4:00 PM and 5:00PM
Saturday 7/22 @  4:15 PM and 5:15 PM
Sunday 7/23 @ 9:00 AM and 10:00 AM

Please note that all flight times are subject to weather, maintenance and flight occupancy.

Following a meticulous refresh on Man’O’War which included a complete overhaul of the Merlin engine and the propeller, our beautiful two-seater P-51DMustang is back flying!

Expect to see her at the Truckee Airshow and of course our own Wings Over Camarillo Airshow – but don’t wait to book a ride aboard this icon of the skies, her dance card is getting filled fast!

CAF SoCal aircraft will be participating in the 2017 Truckee Tahoe Air Show & Family Festival, July 07-09, 2017 and our P51 Mustang will be there giving rides for an experience of a lifetime!

Following a lengthy overhaul period, our P-51D Man’O’War is available for flights again, with a completely overhauled Rolls Royce Merlin engine and propeller.

Reserve your P51 Ride today!

Book Online HERE
or
Call 805-482-0064

Man’OWar’s dance card at the home hangars in Camarillo is full and getting longer.  Don’t miss your opportunity to experience the warbird that established air supremacy in the skies of Europe and take a ride aboard a P-51D Mustang over the breath-taking scenery of the Truckee/Lake Tahoe.

Give Dad a treat he won’t soon forget!

This Fathers Day Weekend, Saturday June 17th and Sunday 18th, we have added additional flight times in the AT6 Texan/SNJ as well as the B-25/PBJ Mitchell bomber for rides at the CAFSoCal museum.

Book your ride soon as seats are limited 

Purchase Online for the PBJ Bomber or the AT6/SNJ Trainer

or call (805) 482-0064

or stop by at the museum

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It is an experience not to be missed and a gift that will be talked about at family gatherings over and over.

But, don’t take our word for it…. Just watch a few of these ride program participants:

CAF SoCal Living History Presentation Series: Harnessing the Sky: Fredrick “Trap” Trapnell The U.S. Navy’s Aviation Pioneer

From bi-planes to jets!

On Saturday, June 10th, local author Dana Trapnell Tibbitts presented her book on the nearly lost history of her grandfather,  the man called the “godfather of modern naval aviation.”

Dana Trapnell Tibbitts and John Torgerson

The excellent presentation of the  award winning biography, Harnessing The Sky: Frederick “Trap” Trapnell, the U.S. Navy’s Aviation Pioneer can be viewed on our YouTube channel at the following link:

After the presentation and a Q/A session, the author was  available for a book signing for the audience. Autographed copies are also available at the museum’s gift shop.

Despite a thick marine layer, the weather was cooperative enough to allow us to conclude the day’s activities by flying  Minisi III, CAF SoCal’s Zero killer F6F Hellcat, an example of an airplane whose expedited development under Trapnell was critical to U.S. victory in World War II.

Congratulations to Chris Liguori, our latest Zero pilot.  

Chris Liguori, post Zero flight

Chris was introduced to CAFSoCal a few years ago as a P51 warbird ride participant – a gift from his lovely wife.  

Since then he’s been at the wing, pitching in as time allows and has proven to be a more than capable pilot behind the controls of the F6F Hellcat.

Anxious to add to his repertoire, Chris  just had his first flight behind the stick of a Mitsubishi A6M3 Zero on June 3rd.

Way to go Chris! You’ve joined a small and distinguished group of people on the planet! Can’t imagine what that must feel like.

Following the flight, Chris was met by a proud ground crew and his ceremonial shot of sake!

Chris Liguori receiving his shot of Sake after his first flight on the A6M3 Zero

Great guy that he is, Chris has promised to give us a quick interview comparing what it’s like to fly the Zero vs the Hellcat. We’ll have that up soon. 

The B-25/PBJ and the Hellcat participated in the 2017 Memorial Day Weekend activities at the Palm Springs Air Museum.

Our aircraft arrived on Saturday and were on display at the museum for the weekend. The PBJ was made available for rides and took to the sky on multiple warbird ride missions to the delight of all involved.

The Holiday weekend ended with museum’s annual “Flower Drop” where hundreds of red and white carnations were dropped from the bomb bay of the B25 “Pacific Princess”. The red and white flowers against the blue sky was a spectacle to be witnessed in person. The airdrop was followed by a Missing Man Formation which included our PBJ and Hellcat as well as a P63 King Cobra and a P51-D.

Thanks to Scott Plummer or airshowvid.com for generously sharing some of the footage for the video.

What a great weekend and a privilege to have been part of the moving ceremonies honoring our veterans. Our sincere gratitude goes to the organizers and volunteers at the PSAM for their tireless efforts in putting on a great show as well as their unmatched hospitality.

As if that wasn’t enough, the Hellcat made a great photo subject on the return trip back to Camarillo, late on Monday.

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