he origin of the Commemorative Air Force dates back to 1951, with the purchase of a surplus Curtiss-Wright P-40 Warhawk by Lloyd Nolen, a former World War II Army Air Forces flight instructor.[2] In 1957, Nolen and four friends purchased a P-51 Mustang, each sharing in the $1,500 cost of the aircraft. With the purchase of the Mustang, known as Red Nose, the group was unofficially founded. In 1958 the group purchased Grumman F8F Bearcats. In 1960, the CAF began seriously to search for other World War II aircraft. The CAF were shocked that aircraft which played such a major role in winning World War II were being scrapped as obsolete. The Air Force or Navy, made no attempt to preserve these historic aircraft for display for future generations. The warbirds that remained airworthy were mostly in private hands modified for air racing or had been converted for commercial use as air freighters and aerial firefighters. 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. Their first airshow was held on March 10, 1963. In 1965, the first museum building 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 including 26,000 square feet (2,400 m2) of museum space. The CAF fleet continued to grow. By the end of the decade, the CAF fleet included medium and heavy bombers such as the B-25, B-17, B-24. In 1971, they added the world's only airworthy B-29 Superfortress, Fifi. The group's accomplishments were recognized in 1989 when it became a National Aviation Hall of Fame inductee. 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. Since its move to Midland, the American Airpower Heritage Museum and the American Combat Airman Hall of Fame have been established.

said moabjeeper 6 months 17 days ago