News

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.

Man’O’War and SNJ “290” were at the 2017 California Capital Airshow on September 9 and 10.

Although our primary task was to offer the public warbird rides aboard these aircraft, Man’O’War was asked to stand in for another P51 which failed to appear for a  scheduled act.

It serves as a testament to CAFSoCal’s professionalism, as well as all our pilots’ skill that Jason Somes was able to run the expected routine with little notice, to the thrill of the crowds.

We look forward to returning to the CCA in 2018 – hopefully, it will be a little cooler than it was this year, and maybe we’ll bring up more of our warbirds for the show.

Bellow are a few images of Man’O’War in action, as well as just a couple of the other aircraft in the show that were too good to pass up.

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Onboard action cam video of the Ferrari supercar chase and aerobatics by Man’O’War

We will be selling P-51 Rides at the Minden Air Show October 8-10.   Check our rides section to purchase and schedule your “bucket list” ride.

On October 14th you will have the opportunity to fulfill one of those “bucket list” items.

Our P-51 will be available for rides on Saturday the 14th.  

You can purchase and schedule your ride under rides on our web site

Effective October 1, 2017 our ride prices will increase at Camarillo.  This will be our 1st increase in 3 years.  The new pricing will be as follows:

P-51 Mustang   $1695 for 20 minutes

SNJ   $495 for 20 minutes

PT-19   $295 for 20 minutes

PBJ    Pricing will remain the same for the moment.

Certificates purchased before the price increase can be used anytime, they do not expire. 

Thank you past and future riders for your support. 

The Southern California Wing of the Commemorative Air Force invite you to leave a Legacy by purchasing a Commemorative Brick. The bricks will be installed at our entrance by the flag pole leading into the aircraft museum.

The bricks are 4”x8” and made out of red clay with black lettering to include up to 3 lines with up to 18 characters per line.

To place your order, download and print out this form. Return your completed form with payment attached to the museum or mail in to the address indicated.

Or, place your order online directly with the brick engraver by following the LINK HERE.