The Arizona Commemorative Air Force Museum, a.k.a. Airbase Arizona Aircraft Museum, was established in 1978, in Falcon Field in Mesa, Arizona. It is the 10th unit of the Commemorative Air Force and the home of one of the largest Commemorative Air Force units in the world. On exhibit are World War II artifacts, helicopters and classic American and foreign combat planes, many of which are the last remaining warbirds of their kinds.

Brief history

Mesa-Arizona Commemorative Air Force Museum-3-1940

The Arizona Commemorative Air Force Museum can trace its history to 6 September 1961, when the Commemorative Air Force was founded. The non-profit organization was chartered as a nonprofit Texas corporation in

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

. Its mission was, and still is, to restore and preserve World War II-era combat aircraft. The idea of establishing the organization came about when in 1957, Lloyd Nolen and a small group of ex-service pilots from the Rio Grande Valley in Texas invested their money towards the purchase of a P-51 Mustang. Aircraft enthusiasts in Arizona became interested in establishing a branch of the Commemorative Air Force in their home state. After months of searching, Falcon Field was chosen as the new site for the Arizona Commemorative Air Force Museum. Falcon Field was established before World War II when Hollywood producer

Leland Hayward Leland Hayward (September 13, 1902 – March 18, 1971) was a Hollywood and Broadway agent and theatrical producer. He produced the original Broadway stage productions of Rodgers and Hammerstein's '' South Pacific'' and ''The Sound of Music''. ...

and pilot John H. "Jack" Connelly founded Southwest Airways with funding from

Henry Fonda Henry Jaynes Fonda (May 16, 1905 – August 12, 1982) was an American actor. He had a career that spanned five decades on Broadway and in Hollywood. He cultivated an everyman screen image in several films considered to be classics. Born and ra ...

Fred Astaire Fred Astaire (born Frederick Austerlitz; May 10, 1899 – June 22, 1987) was an American dancer, choreographer, actor, and singer. He is often called the greatest dancer in Hollywood film history. Astaire's career in stage, film, and tele ...

Ginger Rogers Ginger Rogers (born Virginia Katherine McMath; July 16, 1911 – April 25, 1995) was an American actress, dancer and singer during the Classical Hollywood cinema, Golden Age of Hollywood. She won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her starri ...

, James Stewart and

Hoagy Carmichael Hoagland Howard Carmichael (November 22, 1899 – December 27, 1981) was an American musician, composer, songwriter, actor and lawyer. Carmichael was one of the most successful Tin Pan Alley songwriters of the 1930s, and was among the first ...

. In 1977, a small group broke ground at Falcon Field and in 1978, the museum was officially opened to the public. The Arizona Wing became the 10th unit of the Commemorative Air Force. The museum is situated inside an old World War II hangar built in 1941. In front of the museum's entrance is one of four propellers which were once installed on a B-29 Super Fortress. Also on display on the front lawn of the building is a 3-inch Mark 33 deck gun. The deck gun was originally mounted on the USS ''Guam'' for aircraft defense. It had the ability to fire 50 rounds a minute. There is a "Walk of Honor" located in front of the museum. The Walk of Honor is a tribute which recognizes the contributions made by Arizonans to the field of military aviation. Inductees are honored for their achievement with the installation of a special bronze plaque at the Museum. The majority of the aircraft and exhibits are located inside the hangar while some in flying condition, are located outside on the airfield. The hangar also houses the museum's gift shop. Some of the aircraft date back to 1917, however, most of the aircraft are from

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. On display in the museum are some modern post-World War II jet fighters. Also on display are military helicopters. Next door to the museum hangar is the Mechanics Hangar where some of the aircraft are repaired and restored. The museum is the home of one of the largest

Commemorative Air Force The Commemorative Air Force (CAF), formerly known as the Confederate Air Force, is an American non-profit organization based in Dallas, Texas, that preserves and shows historical aircraft at airshows, primarily in the U.S. and Canada. The CAF h ...

units in the world. Also, on display are various artifacts related to the history of the warbirds, such as jackets worn by the pilots in World War II.

Exhibits

Douglas C-47 Skytrain The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota ( RAF, RAAF, RCAF, RNZAF, and SAAF designation) is a military transport aircraft developed from the civilian Douglas DC-3 airliner. It was used extensively by the Allies during World War II and remained ...

, which served with the 11th Troop Carrier Squadron. This aircraft flew highly classified missions transporting spies, supplies, and rescuing wounded personnel and refugees. Its missions were lost to history for 70 years. "Old Number 30" is named after one of four mules, serial number 30, flown along with four partisan commandos in the dead of night from Brindisi, Italy, to a top-secret site in the Balkans in 1944. Mule #30, along with 35 other mules hauled twelve 75-mm guns through the mountains to attack Nazi occupiers. *

Beechcraft C-45 Expeditor The Beechcraft Model 18 (or "Twin Beech", as it is also known) is a 6- to 11-seat, twin-engined, low-wing, tailwheel light aircraft manufactured by the Beech Aircraft Corporation of Wichita, Kansas. Continuously produced from 1937 to November ...

* Douglas A-26C Invader named ''Miss Murphy'' Serial #: 44-35601. Built by Douglas Aircraft Company in 1942, during World War II. This aircraft also participated in the

Korean Korean may refer to: People and culture * Koreans, ethnic group originating in the Korean Peninsula * Korean cuisine * Korean culture * Korean language **Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Chosŏn'gŭl **Korean dialects and the Jeju language ** ...

and

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

wars *

Douglas SBD Dauntless The Douglas SBD Dauntless is a World War II American naval scout plane and dive bomber that was manufactured by Douglas Aircraft from 1940 through 1944. The SBD ("Scout Bomber Douglas") was the United States Navy's main carrier-based scout/di ...

The aircraft is in Mechanics Hangar for restoration. * Lee-Wray Nieuport 17 (N124RX/1). Serial Number 251, this was a French fighter plane manufactured by Michael P. Wray and Company during World War I. It is currently in the Mechanics Hangar. *

McDonnell Douglas F-4N Phantom II The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is an American Tandem#Aviation, tandem two-seat, twinjet, twin-engine, all-weather, long-range supersonic aircraft, supersonic jet interceptor aircraft, interceptor and fighter-bomber originally developed ...

* Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 * Nieuport 28 C.1, a replica of the French biplane fighter aircraft flown by American Ace

Eddie Rickenbacker Edward Vernon Rickenbacker or Eddie Rickenbacker (October 8, 1890 – July 23, 1973) was an American fighter pilot in World War I and a Medal of Honor recipient.Lockheed PV-2 Harpoon The Lockheed Ventura is a twin-engine medium bomber and patrol bomber of World War II. The Ventura first entered combat in Europe as a bomber with the RAF in late 1942. Designated PV-1 by the United States Navy (US Navy), it entered combat in ...

(N86492/492/BJ-K) *

North American B-25 Mitchell The North American B-25 Mitchell is an American medium bomber that was introduced in 1941 and named in honor of Major General William "Billy" Mitchell, a pioneer of U.S. military aviation. Used by many Allied air forces, the B-25 served in ...

named ''Maid in the Shade''. This aircraft is one of 34 B-25Js still flying. This aircraft was used in America's first large-scale bombing offensive in the Philippines, sinking 8 ships and shooting down 5 planes. This aircraft is in the Mechanics Hangar. *

Grumman TBF Avenger The Grumman TBF Avenger (designated TBM for aircraft manufactured by General Motors) is an American World War II-era torpedo bomber developed initially for the United States Navy and Marine Corps, and eventually used by several air and naval a ...

Wheeler 1992, p. 53. *

North American P-51 Mustang The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang is an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II and the Korean War, among other conflicts. The Mustang was designed in April 1940 by a team headed by James ...

originally named ''Dazzling Donna''. Serial #: 44-74404. Was repainted in June 2006 with the name ''Stang'' for the movie "Thunder Over Reno". * Bell UH-1B Iroquois *

Sikorsky H-19 Chickasaw The Sikorsky H-19 Chickasaw (company model number S-55) was a multi-purpose helicopter used by the United States Army and United States Air Force. It was also license-built by Westland Aircraft as the Westland Whirlwind in the United Kingdom ...

(company model number S-55) * Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5"RAF SE 5 – SE 5A."
''Austin Memories'', Retrieved: 26 July 2009.

References

External links

Official website
{{Coord, 33.452532, -111.73488, type:landmark_region:, display=title Buildings and structures in Mesa, Arizona Airports in Maricopa County, Arizona Military Superfund sites History of Maricopa County, Arizona Superfund sites in Arizona 1978 establishments in Arizona 1993 disestablishments in Arizona Museums in Phoenix, Arizona Aerospace museums in Arizona

Brief history

Exhibits

See also

References

Further reading

External links