Early
Commemorative Air Force History
Prelude to the American Airpower Heritage Museum
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 this Mustang, known as Red Nose, the group now
known as the Commemorative Air Force was unofficially founded.
Legend
has it that upon arriving at the Mercedes airfield in deep
south Texas one Sunday morning in 1957, the group found
that someone had painted a sign on the fuselage of the P-51
as a joke. The sign read Commemorative Air Force. All the
pilots seemed pleased with the new name, saluted each other
and decided it should stay.
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-engined fighters
to see service with the U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Navy
in World War II.
In
1960, the CAF began seriously to search for other World
War II aircraft, but it quickly became apparent that very
few were still left 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
to see!
On
September 6, 1961, the Commemorative Air Force was chartered
as a non-profit 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.
American
Airpower Heritage Museum Begins
Over
the years, a small museum began to grow as World War II
artifacts were donated to the CAF. 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.
The CAF Fleet was rapidly growing and now included medium
and heavy bombers. Today the CAF has grown to over 8,000
members and over 70 chartered units have been established
in cities across the country to help restore, preserve and
fly the World War II aircraft.
The
museum was also growing rapidly, and in 1986, the first
museum-trained employee was hired. American Airpower Heritage
Museum was born as a separate non-profit organization in
1989. It is dedicated to preserving the history of World
War II aviation, and to complementing the objectives of
the CAF.
The
year 1991 marked the beginning of a new era for the CAF
and AAHM with the relocation of the headquarters and museum
from their South Texas home of 34 years to Midland, Texas.
The new museum building was dedicated on December 7, 1991.
