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 Commemorative Air ForceCOMMEMORATIVE AIR FORCE FACTSCAF Aircraft fly! This along with the fact that the CAF Ghost Squadron consists of over 140 airplanes representing 60 types (including planes from several foreign countries) is what makes the CAF different from other aviation museums.
Each year more Americans see, touch the metal, smell the smoke, and listen to the roar of piston-engine aircraft that are operated by the CAF than visit the static displays of all other aviation museums in the United States.
CAF members, originally mostly World War II veterans, increased rapidly in number from five in 1957 to over 11,000 in 2001. CAF members come from all walks of life ~ many are not pilots or veterans ~ but they all share the same interest in preserving and teaching the history of World War II airpower. The youngest Colonel is 18 ~ that's the youngest age at which one can become a CAF Colonel; the oldest, a mere 100.
The second most important mission of the Commemorative Air Force is teaching history, especially the lessons so dearly learned about preparedness, freedom and airpower during World War II. The Commemorative Air Force includes over 70 WIngs, Squadrons and Detachments located in 27 U.S. states and four other countries.
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Because
CAF aircraft fly, they go to the people and appear annually before
as many as 10,000,000 spectators in or near every community and neighborhood
in the United States and Canada. CAF aircraft represent living history
and as a result help teach the invaluable lessons of World War II
(peace through strength and preparedness) and the marvelous achievements
of Americans and free people around the world during that era (1939-1945).
Of
special interest to the CAF were the nearly 300,000 aircraft produced
in America in just three and a half years; the 2,000,000 pilots trained
to fly those planes in U.S. military services during the war; as well
as the other 14,000,000 American men and women trained to perform
in the military.
The
CAF's primary mission is preserving history ~ not only the military
aircraft aviation and artifacts of World War II, but also the aviation-related
memories of individuals who participated in or witnessed World War
II. The American Airpower Heritage Museum located at the CAF Headquarters
in Midland, Texas, has one of the finest collections of World War
II aviation memorabilia.