TRAVEL TALES : HIGH-FLYING FANS AREN'T WHISTLING `DIXIE'.Byline: Susanne Hopkins Daily News Travel Editor If you're a plane aficionado A Spanish word that means fan, devotee, enthusiast, etc. There are loyal aficionados of every subject in the computer field. , take off from the Valley one day and land at the Confederate Air Force Museum in Camarillo. Now, if you're thinking gray uniforms, whistling ``Dixie'' and wondering how the Air Force got mixed up in the Civil War - well, banish those thoughts. The facility at the Camarillo Airport Camarillo Airport (ICAO: KCMA, FAA LID: CMA) is a public airport located three miles (5 km) west of the central business district of Camarillo, a city in Ventura County, California, United States. , operated by the Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, Wing of the Confederate Air Force (CAF CAF - constant applicative form ) Inc., actually houses large World War II planes and a small museum of aviation memorabilia from that era. ``What it is is a bunch of 50-year-old planes with the original cast flying them,'' joked Dave Long David ("Dave") Long (born November 21st, runner]] from Great Britain, who represented the United Kingdom in the men's marathon at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea. There he finished in 21st position, clocking 2:16:18. of Thousand Oaks Thousand Oaks, residential city (1990 pop. 104,352), Ventura co., S Calif., in a farm area; inc. 1964. Avocados, citrus, vegetables, strawberries, and nursery products are grown. , CAF member and a retired TWA TWA Time-weighted average, see there pilot. The group is not dedicated to the Confederacy Confederacy, name commonly given to the Confederate States of America (1861–65), the government established by the Southern states of the United States after their secession from the Union. and the Civil War as the name suggests, but to preserving aircraft and aviation history from World War II. We want to make the public aware of what a large part aviation played in winning World War II, said CAF member and former World War II pilot Russell Drosendahl of Woodland Hills. While the name often stymies visitors, it was simply the first thing two pilots from Midland, Texas - Lloyd P. Nolan and Marvin ``Lefty'' Gardner - could think of 35 years ago when they were asked what name they wanted to fly under for an air show, said Drosendahl. That flight initiated not only the name, but the group, since the two men piloted old World War II planes for the show. Today, the Confederate Air Force has more than 7,000 members - men and women, some pilots, some not - in 25 nations. California boasts six CAF units - Camarillo, Riverside, San Diego, Paso Robles Robles is a common surname in the Spanish language meaning oaks, and may refer to:
CAF headquarters is in Midland, where there is a museum and a hangar housing 20 vintage aircraft. ``We (CAF) have 130 airplanes around the world,'' said Drosendahl, a retired pilot from TWA who spends much of his spare time helping to restore the old planes at the Camarillo Airport facility. Four planes owned by the CAF are housed in Camarillo: a C-46 Curtiss Commando; an SNJ-5 North American North American named after North America. North American blastomycosis see North American blastomycosis. North American cattle tick see boophilusannulatus. Trainer; an F8F-2 Grumman Bearcat Fighter; and a B-25 North American Mitchell Bomber, which is under restoration. The wing is also constructing two other planes - a Skybolt and a 1937 Fairchild, Model H. Between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, visitors can stop by the hangar and watch members work on the planes. ``You can see the airplanes and tour them if they're here,'' Drosendahl said, adding that the vintage planes sometimes are flown in air shows by qualified member pilots. This weekend, for example, the C-46 and the F8F-2 are scheduled to fly in the Miramar Naval Air Station A Naval Air Station is an airbase of the United States Navy. Such bases are used to house Naval Aviation squadrons and support commands. List of Functioning US Naval Air Stations
Other visiting airplanes also are on display at the CAF hangar from time to time, noted Drosendahl. And then there's the museum. It's a small place, but it's packed with a lot of stuff, added Drosendahl. Visitors can view airplane models, machine guns, gun sights, aerial cameras, medals and an array of other items from World War II. From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily during Labor Day weekend (Aug. 30-Sept. 1), the Southern California Wing will hold a free open house. The airplanes will be on display, the museum will be open, and there will be a post exchange (PX), a small store modeled after one in World War II, Drosendahl said. ``And maybe we'll do a little flying,'' he added. THE FACTS The Confederate Air Force Museum is located in Hangar 455 at the Camarillo Airport. Take the Ventura Freeway (101) north to the Las Posas exit in Camarillo, go south to Pleasant Valley Road and turn right. Follow to the Eubanks entrance (second traffic light), turn right and follow it to the hangar located where the road makes a 90-degree turn (there's a green curb in front). The museum and the hangar are open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Admission is free. Information: (805) 482-0064. CAPTION(S): 2 Photos Photo: (1) Dave Long holds a 1943 radio direction finder A radio direction finder (RDF) is a device for finding the direction to a radio source. Due to radio's ability to travel very long distances "over the horizon", it makes a particularly good radio navigation system for ships and aircraft that might be flying at a distance at the Confederate Air Force Museum in Camarillo. (2) This B-25 North American Mitchell Bomber is undergoing restoration at the Confederate Air Force Museum. On Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, visitors can watch members work on planes. Bob Halvorsen/Daily News |
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