Antique/Classic Airplane Association of Colorado
May 7th Program. The Commemorative Air Force
Our May guest speaker will be R.D. Nolen who helped his brother Lloyd Nolen start and develop the (Confederate) Commemorative Air Force in Mercedes, Texas. The brothers ran an Ag service out the air strip there. He will share how they found their name. Seem they were in a second hand store and saw a whole bunch of cards that said "Confederate Air Force". They bought them and used them to make friend official "Colonel's" in the Confederate AF. Thats how it all started.
The origin of the Commemorative Air Force dates back to 1951, with the purchase of a surplus Curtiss P-40 Warhawk by Lloyd Nolen, a former World War II Army Air Corps flight instructor. In 1957, Nolen and four friends purchased a P-51 Mustang, each sharing in the $2,500 cost of the aircraft. With the purchase of the Mustang, known as Red Nose, the group was unofficially founded.
The organization was originally known as the "Confederate Air Force." Following a membership vote in 2001 and made effective on January 1, 2002, the organization is now known as the Commemorative Air Force.
In 1958, the group made their second purchase ~ two Grumman F8F Bearcats for $805 each. Along with the P-51, this gave the pilots the two most advanced piston-engine fighters to see service with the U.S. Army Air Forces and the U.S. Navy. R.D. said they gave their first air show then. They flew to a Air Force Base nearby in the Rio Grande Valley. Seems the officials ask the boys not to fly over the Commanding Officers house, for he was sick in bed. Never ask the boys NOT to do something he said. They buzzed the C.O.'s house and the commander liked it so much he ask them to do it again after the air show.
In 1960, the CAF began seriously to search for other World War II aircraft, but it became quickly apparent that few remained in flying condition. 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 destroyed. No one, not even the Air Force or Navy were attempting to preserve even one of each type of these historic aircraft for display for future generations.
On September 6, 1961, the CAF was chartered as a nonprofit Texas corporation in order to restore and preserve World War II-era combat aircraft. By the end of the year, there were nine aircraft in the CAF fleet.
In 1965, the first museum building consisting of 26,000 square feet was completed at old Rebel Field, Mercedes, Texas. The CAF created a new Rebel Field at Harlingen, Texas, when they moved there in 1968, occupying three large buildings. R.D. said the landing strip at Mercedes was just to short for all the heavy aircraft that they were getting. The CAF fleet continued to grow and included medium and heavy bombers such as the B-29, B-25, B-17 and B-24.
Today, the Commemorative Air Force is comprised of over 11,000 members, several hundred of whom serve as pilots and flight or maintenance crew members committed to preserving World War II American aviation heritage. The CAF is responsible for operating a fleet of more than 140 airplanes known as the Ghost Squadron. The year 1991 marked the beginning of a new era for the CAF with the opening of the new Midland, Texas, headquarters and museum facilities. The youngest Colonel is 18 ~ that's the youngest age at which one can become a CAF Colonel; the oldest, a mere 100.
CAF 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.
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.
The Commemorative Air Force includes over 70 WIngs, Squadrons and Detachments located in 27 U.S. states and four other countries.
Come join R.D. Nolen for dinner and Casa Alvarez, 502 South Public Road, Lafayette CO., upstairs at 6 pm. The meeting will began at 7 pm in the same room.
Christy Barden, President April 2003.