Camarillo CA Commemorative Air Force museum

[rufrdr]

Visited the CAF museum near my daughter's house in Camarillo on Saturday. Nice little museum with some good exhibits and aircraft. You get a personal tour of the aircraft some of which are in the process of being rebuilt. Check it out if you are in the area.



My family bought me a ride in this P51 for my birthday. Unfortunately the engine has been at the rebuild shop and won't be installed until March. The plane was used in the 50s film "Battle Hymn" with Rock Hudson. It was assigned to the Texas Air National Guard when used in the movie filming



I live about a 15 minute flight time distance from the museum and sometimes see this one zipping by overhead. Love the engine sound!



This privately owned P51 was doing touch and go drills while we were there. I was hoping for a low altitude fly past but it wasn't on for that day!

[bnz41]

Nice Mustang, are they North American Harvard planes outside behind the mini & by the Spitfire what are the markings on the spitfire.

[Chuck]

Nice one Rufrdr.

You'd love the Pima Air Museum in Tucson, Arizona. You could easily spend a couple of days there.

Also in Phoenix, AZ, you can get a trip in a B17 and also a Mitchell if I remember right.

Would love that flight in the Mustang though (and a Spitfire).. that's just the dogs bits...

[rufrdr]

Nice Mustang, are they North American Harvard planes outside behind the mini & by the Spitfire what are the markings on the spitfire.

Yes, they are both T-6 Texans or Harvards. The museum sells rides in the plane outside. They also sell rides in the P-51 waiting for the engine, a PT-19, and if enough people sign up, in a B-25.

Other than the SW Asia theater insignia I don't remember the rest of the markings on the Spitfire.

[rufrdr]

Nice one Rufrdr.

You'd love the Pima Air Museum in Tucson, Arizona. You could easily spend a couple of days there.

Also in Phoenix, AZ, you can get a trip in a B17 and also a Mitchell if I remember right.

Would love that flight in the Mustang though (and a Spitfire).. that's just the dogs bits...

I've driven past the Pima museum but didn't have an opportunity to stop in. Some other good air museums around the U.S. that I've been to are the USAF museum at WP AFB in Dayton OH, the Air and Space museum in D.C. and the Air and Space annex at Dulles airport in VA. Another good one her in SoCal is Planes of Fame in Chino. I revisited it in September having been there about 20 years previously. Just about everything displayed inside can and does fly on a fairly regular basis. They also do a lot of restoration work. When I visited they were working on a P-51A, An F-86, and an ME109. The 109 was recovered from a forest in Russia.













The aircraft outside aren't in nearly as good shape and most are pretty worn and ragged.




General MacArthur's Constellation:

[Chuck]

When I was at Pima they had a B17 with some of the old vets who flew them on the display talking with the public . One old timer had been on a raid over Brunswick in Germany...my old fella would have loved that chat, he was stationed there right after the war.

Only regret was not having a decent camera with me..

B17, you could have a look inside..good luck with getting out in an emergency!

Hawker Hunter with Mig 15's just behind ( a few actually)

Quite a few B52's...HUGE!

[rufrdr]

Great pics Chuck!

When I was a teen my brother was stationed at an AF base that has some B52s. They were in maintenance so he let me crawl through a D model that was in a hanger. I got into the pilot's seat, the seat down below (I think it was the weapons counter-measure position) and the tail gun position. You are right, it is huge! The B36 is another enormous plane. There was one on display at his air base, a recon version.

I worked with a fellow who was a D model tailgunner for the Christmas raids on Hanoi. His tales were hair raising and sad at the same time.

[Chuck]

Pima has a few B52's but you cannot get in (well you can via the wheel wells but tht may not be a good move
Inside they have a Blackbird suspended from the ceiling. Statics include Warthogs, F4's, B29's, Spits, Corsair (the propellor ones) Gruman Avenger etc

They even had a Blenhem there, must try find the old cell phone with the images on it. Plus of course quite a few civilian jobs.