So today in my wide ranging travels in this country by bus I found myself in Camarillo, CA and dropped in on the southern California wing of the Commemorative Air Force. I’ve been a fan of John Deakin’s columns over on AvWeb for a while and he talks a lot about the group and so I had the time and decided to drop in.
From the moment I walked in it was an incredible experience. Essentially the facility consists of two large hangers, one is a museum hanger, and the other has restoration work going on. In the museum was a flyable P-38, T-34, and a Spitfire, and a non-flying Yak-3 I believe. Also present was the standard WWII memorabilia and such. Not present was the Zero, which when I arrived was on the ramp and preparing for a trip around the patch, but I’ll get to that in a moment.
In the Restoration hanger there was a B-25 in the middle of some serious work, a flyable Bearcat and Hellcat, and some other airframes in the middle of some serious work as well.
On the ramp were several aircraft, a Texan trainer, a C-131 minus an engine, and what is billed as the pride of the collection and arguably the most impressive aircraft there, a beautiful C-46, ‘China Doll.’ The first thing that strikes you about the aircraft is that it’s absolutely HUGE. According to data on the CAF SoCal website it’s larger than a B-17 in every dimension. My friend and I were able to get aboard the aircraft and poke around a bit, even in the cockpit. My first impression of it was a very comfortable place that I wouldn’t mind spending some time in. Indeed, as I plan on going to Alaska for a good long while the fact that there are still C-46s being operated by Part 135 cargo carriers in definitely in the back of my mind. In any case, the C-46 was the highlight for me; I enjoyed it a lot.
So when I first got there, there was a noticeable hole in the museum hanger. That was the place where the Zero normally resides, and like I mentioned previously it was out on the ramp, being prepared for a flight. It seems that the ailerons are very unique, and the pilots were working with the mechanics to trim them out. As I was standing on the ramp watching him in the air, I overheard another conversation behind me where a man introduced himself as John Deakin. Some of you may be familiar with his column on AvWeb, and if you aren’t, I suggest you familiarize yourself with it, as well as any other columnists on there. In any case, I introduced myself, and we chatted for a bit, but we were interrupted by the Zero coming back to the ramp. Apparently Mr Deakin had the next turn in the Zero and he had to go get dressed. Some people have all the luck….. Anyways, he came back out and did some low passes over the field, maybe 100’ AGL. Fun times.
In any event, if any of you live in the SoCal area or near Camarillo, I strongly suggest a visit. Everyone I met, from the retired gentleman manning the door and the bookshop, the volunteers doing restoration work, all the way up to the pilots going for a ride in the Zero, was a true professional and very interested in sharing about whatever anyone wanted to ask them. The place totally lacks the decrepit atmosphere experienced in some aviation museums I’ve been to. I mean, where else do all the aircraft on display have WET drip pans underneath the engines? Anyways, I know if I lived in this area I’d be by here a lot, and I can fully recommend a visit.
CJ
From the moment I walked in it was an incredible experience. Essentially the facility consists of two large hangers, one is a museum hanger, and the other has restoration work going on. In the museum was a flyable P-38, T-34, and a Spitfire, and a non-flying Yak-3 I believe. Also present was the standard WWII memorabilia and such. Not present was the Zero, which when I arrived was on the ramp and preparing for a trip around the patch, but I’ll get to that in a moment.
In the Restoration hanger there was a B-25 in the middle of some serious work, a flyable Bearcat and Hellcat, and some other airframes in the middle of some serious work as well.
On the ramp were several aircraft, a Texan trainer, a C-131 minus an engine, and what is billed as the pride of the collection and arguably the most impressive aircraft there, a beautiful C-46, ‘China Doll.’ The first thing that strikes you about the aircraft is that it’s absolutely HUGE. According to data on the CAF SoCal website it’s larger than a B-17 in every dimension. My friend and I were able to get aboard the aircraft and poke around a bit, even in the cockpit. My first impression of it was a very comfortable place that I wouldn’t mind spending some time in. Indeed, as I plan on going to Alaska for a good long while the fact that there are still C-46s being operated by Part 135 cargo carriers in definitely in the back of my mind. In any case, the C-46 was the highlight for me; I enjoyed it a lot.
So when I first got there, there was a noticeable hole in the museum hanger. That was the place where the Zero normally resides, and like I mentioned previously it was out on the ramp, being prepared for a flight. It seems that the ailerons are very unique, and the pilots were working with the mechanics to trim them out. As I was standing on the ramp watching him in the air, I overheard another conversation behind me where a man introduced himself as John Deakin. Some of you may be familiar with his column on AvWeb, and if you aren’t, I suggest you familiarize yourself with it, as well as any other columnists on there. In any case, I introduced myself, and we chatted for a bit, but we were interrupted by the Zero coming back to the ramp. Apparently Mr Deakin had the next turn in the Zero and he had to go get dressed. Some people have all the luck….. Anyways, he came back out and did some low passes over the field, maybe 100’ AGL. Fun times.
In any event, if any of you live in the SoCal area or near Camarillo, I strongly suggest a visit. Everyone I met, from the retired gentleman manning the door and the bookshop, the volunteers doing restoration work, all the way up to the pilots going for a ride in the Zero, was a true professional and very interested in sharing about whatever anyone wanted to ask them. The place totally lacks the decrepit atmosphere experienced in some aviation museums I’ve been to. I mean, where else do all the aircraft on display have WET drip pans underneath the engines? Anyways, I know if I lived in this area I’d be by here a lot, and I can fully recommend a visit.
CJ
