The Commemorative Air Force (CAF), formerly known as the Confederate Air Force,[1] is an American non-profit organization based in Dallas, Texas, that preserves and shows historical aircraft at airshows, primarily in the U.S. and Canada.
The CAF has about 13,000 members, more than 70 chapters, and more than 170 aircraft,[2] including the world's largest collection of airworthy warbirds.[3]
History
The origin of the Commemorative Air Force is the organization called the "Confederate Air Corps" created by Oscar Harper in Montgomery, Alabama, in 1953.[4] Led by the fictional character "Thaddeus P. Throckmorton" and his recruiting officer "Jethro Culpepper", the CAC established several features that later became key characteristics of the CAF: folksy, tongue-in-cheek southern humor; a membership structure based on each member having the equal rank of colonel; and a rallying cry of "Semper, Mint Julep" ("Always Mint Julep").
The P-51D "Red Nose" was the first airplane of the CAF.
In 1957, Lloyd Nolen and four friends purchased a P-51 Mustang called "Red Nose", splitting the $1,500 cost.[5][6] In 1958, the group made their second purchase: two GrummanF8F Bearcats[6] for $805 each. Along with the P-51, this gave the pilots two of the most-advanced piston-engine fighters to see service with the U.S. Army Air Forces and the United States Navy.
In 1960, the CAF began to seriously search for other World War II aircraft. The CAF colonels were shocked to find that the aircraft which played such a major role in winning World War II were being rapidly and systematically scrapped as obsolete with no efforts, not even by the Air Force or Navy, to preserve any for display for future generations. The warbirds that remained airworthy were mostly in private hands modified for air racing or had been converted for commercial use as air freighters and aerial firefighters.
On September 6, 1961, the CAF was chartered as a nonprofit Texas corporation to restore and preserve World War II-era combat aircraft.[7] By the end of the year, the CAF owned nine aircraft. By 1963, the group had achieved their initial goal of acquiring one of each fighter plane operated by U.S. forces during World War II .[6] They held their first airshow on March 10, 1963.[8]
In 1976, the CAF sponsored an air show where a B-29 bomber piloted by Paul Tibbets, the pilot who flew the B-29 which bombed Hiroshima during World War II, reenacted the atomic bombing of Hiroshima (including a mock mushroom cloud). This air show prompted the Japanese government to lodge a formal complaint with the United States Embassy, resulting in the U.S. government issuing an apology.[9]
In 1983, the American Airpower Heritage Foundation was founded to financially support the CAF.[6]
In 1990, the CAF added two corporations.[6] The first was the American Airpower Heritage Flying Museum, tasked with obtaining and maintaining the CAF's aircraft titles. The second was the American Airpower Heritage Museum, which acquired and maintained the CAF's non-aircraft pieces and static displays.[6] In September 1990, CAF joined a statewide anti-littering campaign (Don't Mess With Texas), filming a low-level, high-speed pass of the B-17 Sentimental Journey on a mock bombing run of a highway-littering pickup truck, as part of a 30-second television spot.[11]
The CAF C-47 That's All, Brother was the plane that led the main airborne invasion of Normandy during D-Day.
In 1991, the CAF moved operations to Midland, Texas,[7] where the group opened the CAF Airpower Museum and the American Combat Airman Hall of Fame.
In April 2014, the CAF announced the move of their headquarters and all of the planes associated with the headquarters to Dallas Executive Airport in Dallas, Texas.[7][12][13] The museum and its artifacts (including the nose art collection) were moved to the new headquarters,[14] which it operates as the Henry B. Tippie National Aviation Education Center.
In 2015, the CAF acquired the C-47 That's All, Brother, the plane that led the main airborne invasion of Normandy during D-Day.[15][16]
Accidents and incidents
On September 28, 1995, a Martin B-26 Marauder operated by CAF crashed near Odessa, Texas, killing all five crew members.[17] The NTSB found that the pilot failed to maintain minimum airspeed.[18][19]
On April 14, 2001, the CAF pilot of a Fairchild PT-19A was killed in a crash shortly after takeoff at Midland International Airport; the plane's one passenger survived.[20] The NTSB cited the pilot's "failure to maintain airspeed which resulted in an inadvertent stall".[21]
On May 14, 2001, both CAF crew members aboard a Vultee BT-13A died in a crash southeast of Odessa, Texas.[22] The NTSB found that the pilot failed to maintain minimum airspeed.[23]
On November 12, 2022, during the Wings Over Dallas airshow, two planes owned and operated by CAF—a Bell P-63F and the Boeing B-17G Texas Raiders—suffered a mid-air collision that killed six people.[26]
Membership
As of 2020[update], the Commemorative Air Force had more than 13,000 members,[2] in more than 70 regional groups, called wings or detachments, in 27 states and five countries.[27] Several hundred members actively serve as pilots and flight and/or maintenance crew members committed to preserving American combat aviation heritage. The CAF is an all-volunteer organization, made up of members from all backgrounds. Membership is open to everyone age 18 or older, and cadet membership is available for those over 12 years of age. Although a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, tax-exempt group,[27][28] the CAF has received financial incentives from state and local governments to move to Dallas and operate in Midland.[29][30][31][32]
Organization
The American Airpower Heritage Group is the parent organization and is made up of four corporations:[33]
The Commemorative Air Force, the membership association
A foundation that controls the financial assets and endowment
A museum that manages the non-flying artifacts
A flying museum that operates the flying aircraft
Name
The original name, Confederate Air Force, alluding to the Confederate States of America, started as a joke about the organization's ragtag beginnings. As the collection of warbirds at Central Valley Airport in Mercedes, Texas, started to grow, one member painted the name on the side of the original North American P-51 MustangRed Nose. The name stuck, and it grew to the point where the airport was renamed Rebel Field, all members were called "colonels" (a tradition which still remains), and it led to the creation of a fictitious leader named Colonel Jethro E. Culpepper. A blood chit written on the backs of flight suits and flight jackets stated, "This is a CAF aviator. If found lost or unconscious, please hide him from Yankees, revive with mint julep and assist him in returning to friendly territory. CONFEDERATE AIR FORCE."
T-6 Texan converted to resemble a Mitsubishi A6M Zero as flown by the Commemorative Air Force's Tora! Tora! Tora! group
In November 2000, the group voted to rename, using the initials "CAF" until a permanent name was selected.[1] Following a 2001 membership vote, the group changed its name to "Commemorative Air Force", effective January 1, 2002.[6] Many felt the name Confederate Air Force was confusing, did not accurately reflect the purpose of the organization, and was detrimental to fundraising efforts.[34] According to CAF chief of staff Ray Kinney, "In many people's minds, the word 'confederacy' brings up the image of slavery and discrimination. We, in no way, are associated with that kind of stuff. So, it gives us, in a way, a black eye."[35]
Aircraft
P-51C Mustang in Tuskegee Airmen markingsB-24 "Diamond Lil" from the Commemorative Air Force collection. Airframe was returned to B-24A configuration in 2007.[36]The CAF B-17G Sentimental Journey tours annually from her base at Falcon Field in Mesa, Arizona.[37]T-6 Texan, named Nella, ready for take-off
As of 2022[update], the CAF owns 179 aircraft, a collection known as the CAF Ghost Squadron.[38] Its aircraft range from the small Stinson L-5 Sentinel and Ryan PT-22 to the giant Boeing B-29 Superfortress; the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress; and the Consolidated Liberator B Mk I/B-24A Liberator AM927. Many of the CAF aircraft are rare; the CAF operates one of only two flying examples of the Boeing B-29 Superfortress, and the only remaining flightworthy Curtiss SB2C Helldiver. Others, such as the B-24/LB-30 Liberator; the Japanese Mitsubishi A6M Zero; and the Douglas SBD Dauntless are one of only two or three of that type left flying today. The CAF also operates Axis and Warsaw Pact aircraft such as the MiG 17 Fresco C.
AIRSHO is a yearly event at Midland International Airport showcasing the CAF's aircraft.[8] Because its aircraft tend to be spread out over large geographic distances, and most Ghost Squadron aircraft rarely fly more than a few hours from their home base, AIRSHO is also an opportunity for CAF members to meet up. Ghost Squadron aircraft usually attend AIRSHO every other year. The CAF AIRSHO is the largest warbird air show in the world, with more than eighty warbirds flying per show.[citation needed]
Wings and squadrons
The CAF has many wings and squadrons. Starting in 2013, a limited number of larger units may be designated as an "airbase." The first is Airbase Arizona, located at Falcon Field in Mesa, Arizona and redesignated in June 2013. Most CAF units are in the United States, but there are three outside the country.
Hillinger, Charles (November 2, 1979). "Air Force With Time Machines". Los Angeles Times. pp. 1–2. Archived from the original on May 11, 2022. Retrieved May 11, 2022.
Ogden, Bob. Aviation Museums & Collections of North America. London: Air-Britain, 2007. ISBN0-85130-385-4.
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