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WING STAFF
: Featured Links
WING LEADER
Col. Robert Albee
EXECUTIVE OFFICER:
Col. Shirley Murphy
OPERATIONS OFFICER:
Col. Gary Barber
MAINTENANCE OFFICER:
Col. Joe Peppito
ADJUTANT:
Col. Terry Cedar
FINANCE OFFICER:
Col. Casey De Bree
SAFETY OFFICER:
Col. Norm Swagler
AIRSHOW OFFICER:
Col. Jason Somes
AIR SHOW COORDINATOR:
Col. Bill O'Neill
CHIEF DOCENT:
Col. Ron Fleishman
COLLECTIONS MGR.:
Col. Jim Tierney
FACILITIES OFFICER:
Col. Al Kepler
HANGAR EVENTS MGR.:
Col. Steve Barber, Jr.
HISTORIAN:
Col. Ron Fleishman
MUSEUM DIRECTOR:
Col. Sarah _de Bree
NEWSLETTER EDITOR:
Col. Dave Flood
NEWSLETTER
CO-EDITOR:
Col. Casey _de Bree
PERSONNEL OFFICER:
Col. Norm Swagler
PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICER:
Col. Pat Brown
TRAINING OFFICER:
Vacant
WEBMASTER:
Col. Ken Gottschall
California Wing's
WWII Aviation Museum
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WELCOME TOOUR CAF-
SOCAWING'S
WEBSITE!
ROBERT ALBEE,
WING LEADER
© Photo by
Dave Flood
Commemorative Air Force
Our Mission:
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Commemorative Air Force
'Phone: (805) 482-0064
Open: Tues., Wed., Thurs., Fri., Sat., Sun. - 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Restoration Hangar Open: Tues., Thurs., Sat.
For previous month's issues, go to Back Issues
Friends of The Museum Web Page
Go to Our Facilities and visit us often!
HOW TO BOOK YOUR FLIGHT IN EITHER OUR AUTHENTIC WWII NORTH AMERICAN SNJ-5/AT-6 TEXAN OR THE OPEN-COCKPIT FAIRCHILD PT-19A CORNELL: CLICK ON WARBIRD RIDE PROGRAM IN LEFT COLUMN OF THIS WEBSITE, or go to Warbird Ride Program Page
COME TAKE A THRILLING RIDE WITH US!
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To access Eric Van Gilder's superb photo essay covering the events of May 5, 2007, including the unveiling of "Tigers Over Kweilin," go to:
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Check out our special report on CAF President Steve Brown's visit to our Wing at PRESIDENT STEVE BROWNS PRESENTATION TO MEMBERS
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YOU'RE A GRAND OLD FLAG
You're a grand old flag,
Ev'ry heart beats true
©You're A Grand Old Flag, by George M. Cohan.
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See also Eric's photo essay of a typical day at CAF-SoCAWing, Camarillo, CA Airport, with an emphasis on the various people who volunteer to keep our planes in the air - WE KEEP 'EM FLYING!
A Typical Day At CAF-SoCAWing
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SPECIAL EVENTS INFORMATION IN OUR WWII AVIATION MUSEUM
For information on all our Wing events, please
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Wing Staff Meeting
Our next Wing Staff Meeting is on Saturday, November 21, 2009 at 9:30 a.m. in the Museum Hangar.
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"...O'ER THE LAND
CAF - Southern California Wing
Based at Camarillo Airport in Camarillo, CA, the Southern California Wing of the Commemorative Air Force has hangars devoted to preserving, maintaining, displaying, AND FLYING World War II aircraft.
Currently, we have ten aircraft in our inventory:
* C-46-F #N53594 Curtis "Commando"
* F8F-2 #N7825C Grumman "Bearcat"
* SNJ-5 #N89014 No. American "Texan"
* PBJ-1J #N5865V No. American "Mitchell"
* SNJ-4 #N6411D No. American "Texan"
* F6F-5 #N1078Z Grumman "Hellcat"
* A6M3 #NX712Z Mitsubishi Model 22
"Zero"
* Mark XIV #N749DP Supermarine "Spitfire"
* F-24R Fairchild
* PT-19A #N641BP Fairchild Cornell [Capt. Charles Plumb, USN (Ret.), Owner]
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Our CAF hangars are located at the The WWII Aviation Museum is open We hope to see you soon!
Just recently, our crack Spitfire crew attached the renovated Rolls Royce Griffon enging to the fuselage of our Spitfire Mk XIV. It's beginning to look like a beautiful aircraft again! Soon the crew will be attaching the propeller, and then the engine test will begin. Stay tuned!
To Honor American Military Aviation Through Flight, Exhibition, and Remembrance.
Southern California Wing
WWII Aviation Museum
455 Aviation Drive
Camarillo, CA 93010
Our Next Staff Meeting
Flight Line newsletter
HOW TO FIND US
Merrill's son Kent did the video from an AT-6, and John Deakin, another long-time Wing member, was in the right seat. Enjoy! (Have your sound on).
©Photo by Craig Bennett
© Photo by Al Watts
May 5 Special Event
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You're a high flying flag
And forever in peace may you wave.
You're the emblem of
The land I love.
The home of the free and the brave.
'neath the Red, White and Blue,
Where there's never a boast or brag.
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
Keep your eye on the grand old flag.
Col. Eric Van Gilder on his recent flight
in our SNJ-5, with Terry Cedar in the front cockpit.
See Eric's terrific photo essay of their flight at:
www.vg-photo.com/articles/snjflight.html
contact our Public Information Officer, Pat Brown, at (805) 479-2221.
CLICK HERE FOR MUSEUM HANGAR/RESTORATION
HANGAR HOURS AND LOCATION
OF THE FREE,
AND THE HOME
OF THE BRAVE."
I pledge allegiance to the flag
Of the United States of America,
And to the Republic for which
It stands -
One nation, under God,
Indivisible,
With liberty and justice for all!
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Photo by Col. Pat Brown
One of the prized planes in our inventory of warbirds, this is our Grumman F6F Hellcat, #N1078Z, sponsored by David Price. Come and see it in our hangars (unless it is at an airshow). It is painted in the colors of Lt. Cmdr. David McCampbell, Navy ace of WWII.
U.S. Army Air Corps Transport ("China Doll")
"Camarillo Commando" - official airplane of
the City of Camarillo, CA
Restoration Status
U.S. Navy Fighter
Restoration Status
U.S. Navy Advanced Trainer
Flying Status
U.S. Marine Corps Bomber (Navy version of B-25J)
Restoration Status
U.S. Navy Advanced Trainer
Restoration Status
U.S. Navy Fighter -(David Price, Sponsor)
Flying Status
Japanese Navy Fighter -(David Price, Sponsor)
Flying Status
British RAF Fighter - (David Price, Sponsor)
Restoration Status
Army Air Corps Transport and Spotter Aircraft
Restoration Status
Army Air Corps Trainer
Flying Status
See "Portraits of Our Wing's Aircraft"
© Paul Koskella
Our C-46 China Doll flying formation with our B-25 / PBJ-1J.
Camarillo Airport in Camarillo, CA.
The airport is just off Highway 101
in Camarillo.
Take the Las Posas exit
and go south to Pleasant Valley Road.
Turn right and take a right onto
Eubanks Street (2nd light) into the airport.
We are on the corner of Eubanks and
Airport Drive - you will see the sign on our hangar.
every day (except Mondays) from 10:00 to 4:00.
We accept donations (usually $7.00 for adults; $4.00 for students 10-18; $3.00 for children 6-9; children under 6 and current military are free)
Our volunteers are at
the hangars working on our aircraft on
Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays -
from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Our cadre of volunteer docents are
very knowledgable and are glad to
give tours of our facilities to groups
(including school groups/classes).
We need a three-day notice for tour
groups of ten or more in order to line
up docents to guide you through.
Please call (805) 482-0064 to make a
reservation. We'll have someone to
show you around our facilities and make
your visit a memorable one.
We have an ever-growing museum of
World War II aviation artifacts and
displays, along with
an aviation library.
We also have new displays commemorating the Korean War and the Vietnam War.
There is a gift shop in the museum for
you to purchase mementos of your visit
with us. The Museum and Gift Shop are
open daily excepting Mondays,
from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Please be sure to sign our Guest Book, and jot down your e-mail address so we can keep you up-to-date with changes and new items in our website.
The Commemorative Air Force (CAF) is an all-volunteer organization, with members from all walks of life, dedicated to preserving the history of WWII aircraft for generations to come. The CAF is a non-profit, 501(c)3 privately funded and totally self-supporting organization.
Our CAF aircraft fly !! Each year more Americans see them, touch their metal, smell their exhaust smoke, and listen to the ROAR of their piston engines than visit static displays of all other aviation museums combined!
The CAF aircraft throughout the U.S. perform before nearly 10,000,000 spectators every year, recalling the hard-won victories of Americans and other freedom-loving people around the world during the years between 1939 and 1945.
The Southern California Wing, CAF was formed in March, 1981,
and now has 350+ members. It has been a struggle against time,
red tape and indifferent government policies, but our volunteers
find their participation very rewarding, satisfying, and a lot of fun! The Wing holds an Open House during most summer holiday weekends. Fund raisers and social events are held during the year as well.
The Wing is actively involved in air shows - primarily in the Western United States. A schedule of shows in which we will be participating is included on the page entitled "Wing's Air Show Page" (access in the left column).
For more information concerning visits to our hangar; general meetings; or air shows - please call the number shown at the bottom of this page, or contact us via e-mail by typing in a message, your name, and e-mail address in the spaces provided. Many thanks!
YOU can become a part of history by joining us in The CAF - SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA WING! You don't need pilot's wings, military service, or mechanical ability to join and take part in this important historical service organization. All you need is a love for these magnificent aircraft and what they meant for millions of people during World War II. They meant FREEDOM!
There are currently over 10,950 men and women members of The CAF - in 30 nations, including units in France, England, Australia, Switzerland, and New Zealand.
The only requirement for membership in The CAF is a sincere interest in the preservation of WWII aircraft and a minimum age of 18. There is also a Cadet Program for young men and women aged 13 through 23.
The annual dues are:
Annual Dues - Colonel (CAF)..........$200.00
Annual Dues - CAF Supporting Member...$55.00
Annual Dues (So.Ca.Wing).. $50.00
Cadet Annual Dues............. $45.00
When you join, you become a Colonel in The CAF, So. Ca. Wing. You are entitled to participate fully in the restoration work and all other activities of the Wing. You receive the Wing's newsletter, "Flight Line", plus The CAF's newsletter, "Contrails" on a monthly basis, and The CAF color magazine "Dispatch" quarterly.
You also become a part of a cadre of men and women who think, as you do, that, in the words of Winston Churchill, "Never in the history of human conflict have so many owed so much to so few" (speaking, of course, of the brave pilots of the RAF who were primarily instrumental in turning back the German Luftwaffe in the famous Battle of Britain). You will find a tremendous amount of pride in what we do. It can't help but rub off.
You may join by:
Col. Norm Swagler, Personnel Officer
(2)NATIONAL CAF
If you have any questions regarding the application process, please call Col. Swagler @ (805) 482-0064.
Download The So. CA Wing Application Form Page Two
CAF National Colonel Application Form
Come on down! We'd love to have you join us!
To reach Col. Swagler by e-mail, please click on: pswagler@hotmail.com
FEES AND CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE CAF ARE TAX-DEDUCTIBLE
According to the U.S. Treasury Department as described in Section 501 (c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code:
"Charitable contributions made to the Commemorative Air Force by donors as provided in Section 170 of the Code.
Bequests, legacies, devices, transfers or gifts to or for use by the Commemorative Air Force are deductible for federal estate and gift tax purposes under the provisions of Sections 2055, 2106 and 2522 of the Tax Code."
This means that your membership fee and any other donations you might make to The CAF are deductible from your federal income tax.
(1)SO. CA. WING
Downloading the two-page So. CA Wing application form (see download "click-on" entries below); filling it out on your computer; printing it; and sending it, along with a check for $50.00 to:
Commemorative Air Force
Southern California Wing
455 Aviation Drive
Camarillo, CA 93010
Click on the CAF Website address below.
Follow directions on the page to fill in the form and submit your application and payment via credit card number.
SO. CA. WING - THE CAF CADET PROGRAM
Our Cadet Program for young men and women from the age of thirteen through the age of twenty-three was started in the mid '90's. It was felt at that time that an infusion of "young blood" would be good for the Wing. And, oh, how that has turned out to be so right!
Eligible young people can pick up an application at our Museum, which is open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
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Our Cadet Program is open to both young men and women from age thirteen through age twenty-three. They must be enrolled full-time in school. They can be involved in docent work (guiding visitors through the museum and hangars) or in Maintenance and Restoration (or in both).
© Photo by Dave Flood
Here's Cadet Jessica working on the renovation of No. American SNJ-4.
The yearly fee for Cadets is only $45.00.
There are CAF Cadet application forms available in the museum during open hours.
We hope you'll join us!
© Photo by Dave Flood
Here's Cadet Ryan giving TLC treatment to our F6F Hellcat. Cadets may help to work on our planes, or can become Docents in our WWII Aviation Museum, or might opt to do a little of both.
UPLIFT
© Copyright Keith Ferris
HIGH FLIGHT
Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of earth,
John Gillespie Magee, Jr., 1922-1941
RCAF Pilot Officer Magee crashed his Spitfire in an English meadow in 1941, just months after penning this poem, which he had sent to his parents in the United States. He was just nineteen. He is buried in the churchyard cemetery at Scopwick, Lincolnshire.
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The following exerpt from a letter he received from John Magee's sister-in-law was graciously provided to our website by Col. Randy Sohn. Thank you so much Randy for adding to this memorable story.
Mrs. Yvonne Magee (John Magee's sister-in-law) regarding High Flight:
Subject: Re: High Flight
The handwritten original of High Flight has been given by the family to
the
Library of Congress. I don't think they keep it on display, but that's
where it is.
The poem is displayed in a number of places -- at Avon Old Farms
school,
where John was a student, at the site where the Challenger astronauts
are
laid to rest, and we have even discovered a portion of it on a plaque
at our
small hometown airport here in Washington state (with no mention of who
the
poet is!) It's remarkable how it keeps popping up.
John's father, The Rev. John Gillespie Magee, was the interim rector at
St.
John's Episcopal Church in Washington, D.C. (the church across the
street
from the White House) during the war years, and was there when John was
killed. John's mother especially wanted to get the poem out to other
families who were losing sons in the war, to comfort them in their
grief.
It was published in the church bulletin, and of course, this was when
the
U.S. was entering the war -- it was picked up and printed in the D.C.
newspapers, probably partially because the church was a prominent one,
and
things 'took off' from there.
My husband has followed in his father's footsteps, and is an Episcopal
priest. The members of the church here in Washington enjoy High
Flight, and
many of them have the photocopied illuminated version in their homes.
We
took a cathedral tour of Britain last year, and visited John's
gravesite in
a tiny little town at the end of a narrow land in England -- we almost
got
the bus stuck getting to the graveyard. There were several bouquets of
fresh flowers on his grave! We were amazed, and were told that people
often
come to his gravesite to leave flowers. Isn't that delightful?
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Leonardo da Vinci, 1452-1519
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Col. Dave Flood, Webmaster
Cadet Eric Lange, Associate Webmaster
© Copyright Commemorative Air Force, Inc. except as otherwise marked. All rights reserved.
http://www.brooksart.com/highflt.html
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings.
Sunward I've climbed, and joined
The tumbling mirth
Of sun-split clouds
And done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of -
Wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence...Hov'ring there,
I've chased the shouting wind along,
And flung
my eager craft
Through footless halls of air.
Up, up, up the long, delirious burning blue
I've topped the wind-swept heights
With easy grace,
Where never lark, or even eagle flew.
And while, with silent lifting mind, I've trod
The high untrespassed sanctity of space,
Put out my hand
And touched the face of God.
YOU WILL FOREVER WALK THE EARTH
WITH YOUR EYES TURNED SKYWARD.
FOR THERE YOU HAVE BEEN,
AND THERE YOU WILL ALWAYS
LONG TO RETURN" 
Your humble webmaster at work. Thanks for your continued support and feedback. We rely on you to let us know how you like (or dislike) our website. Please keep the e-mails coming and give us your opinions, suggestions, criticisms, news updates, favorite links - whatever's on your mind. With your important help, we aim to "Keep 'Em Flying!"
