CAF pilot or engineer sponsorship what you get per level

[Beverley]

Looking on the CAF website for aircraft sponsorship their are amount levels for pilots from $1500 to $ 10000 so does this mean less you pay the less the flyinghrs you get or is it less $ means lower performance / lighter aircraft you fly only or can you fly anything assuming proficient?

Also how's it work for engineers the more you pay the more time you work or the higher the engineer role if you havevproficiency , or the higher performance aircraft you work on?

[jdeters79]

Sponsorship cost varies based on the aircraft model. It does not have anything to do with number of flying hours per year. Most trainers cost $1500 to $3500 to sponsor. Some bombers are $3500, but others more expensive. Fighters are generally on the high end of sponsorship cost. When you sponsor an aircraft, it is for a specific aircraft. For example, if you sponsor a Stearman, it doesn't mean you get to fly any Stearman in the fleet, rather the specific one you have sponsored. CAF has their own operating rules, of course federal regulations still apply. The CAFR60-1 is the operating rules for the CAF. It can be found here.

I can't speak about the flight engineer side of things.

[JimH]

From what I understand you have to "x" amount of tailwheel time and the fighters require a T-6 checkout and maybe a minimum time. They like member participation, you can't just show up and fly

Jim

[Taylor Stevenson]

Jordan and Jim are correct. Aircraft sponsorship cost and qualifications are based on the aircraft type and are minimums (Ex. P-40 is $10,000, SBD is $5,000, T-6 is $3,500, L-5 is $1,500). I've included the current minimum qualifications chart below. Meeting the pilot qualifications and having the money to sponsor CAF aircraft does not guarantee you the right to do so. Flying these aircraft is a privilege and is more about relationship-building with the unit maintaining the aircraft than it is about meeting minimums. Your financial obligations also vary depending on to what type of unit the aircraft belongs. If the sponsored aircraft is assigned to a CAF Wing, Squadron or Airbase, then generally the Wing, Squadron or Airbase as a whole takes care of the maintenance, operation and expenses surrounding that aircraft. If the sponsored aircraft is assigned to a CAF Sponsor Group (i.e. a group of individuals), then those individuals are generally personally responsible for maintenance, operations and expenses. For example, I am a member pilot of the CAF P-40 Sponsor Group and when we had the failure of a casting in a landing gear fail, causing that gear to collapse, the six of us sponsor pilots had to come out of pocket to repair the aircraft. This provides a huge incentive to market the aircraft and accumulate show fees in order to cover these types of unfortunate events, however any shortfall in funds is generally expected to be covered by the sponsor pilots. As such, in a CAF Sponsor Group, the minimum sponsor fee should be looked at as an entry fee and not an all-in cost. As a sponsor of both unit assigned and sponsor group assigned CAF aircraft, I'm happy to answer any specific questions.

I am unsure as to what you mean by "engineers." Do you mean flight engineers on aircraft that require them or do you mean maintenance personnel?

Attachments

[Beverley]

Thanks for the detailed info, I may have misread the CAF info regarding a " restoration sponsor" thinking you had to pay to help if you have the maintenance/ restoration qualifications but I suspect not? Ie they don't expect restoration personnel to pay just to physically undertake restoration/maintenance work?

[Taylor Stevenson]

Restoration and maintenance personnel are some of the most important volunteers in the CAF (the most important in my opinion). The only financial requirement of which I am aware is simply being a dues-paying member of the organization. There are multiple levels of aircraft sponsorship (see https://commemorativeairforce.org/pages/Become-an-Aircraft-Sponsor). In ascending order they are Supporting, Restoration and Aircraft/Pilot Sponsor. Each give the sponsor the official "Sponsor" designation. The Restoration Sponsor program is mainly a program for folks who want to generously support a specific aircraft and be classified as an official Sponsor, but may not rise to the donation level of an Aircraft/Pilot Sponsor, or are working on becoming an Aircraft/Pilot Sponsor (PIC). In terms of being a maintenance personnel or non-FAA required crew (PIC, SIC, Flight Engineer, etc.), it is not required to be an official Aircraft Sponsor. That's what makes the CAF so great, for your annual dues/life membership, you have access to amazing pieces of history all over the country and abroad, including opportunities to wrench on, crew, or otherwise support the aircraft, the wonderful members, and the admirable/necessary mission to Educate, Inspire, and Honor.