Fleet Status of CAF Aircraft

[kalamazookid]

Some good info on the current status of aircraft in the CAF fleet in the latest Dispatch, if anyone feels inclined to read it:

http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/9da9fc6a

I would recommend viewing on a desktop rather than a mobile device.

[AG pilot]

Pretty interesting info in there.

[Warbird Kid]

Whoever designed the layout did an okay job. Some silhouette images in there replacing other planes. Don't know why they couldn't find a silhouette of every plane. Curious about the new New England wing in New Hampshire and the costal squadron in Rhode Island. No sign of the Sikorsky R-4 though.

[StangStung]

Very interesting, thanks for posting.

I used to be a member and regularly get the Dispatch ages ago. Always enjoyed fleet updates.

Can someone who is current explain to me the proliferation of post-WWII aircraft? L-17, T-28, etc.? It seems a good portion of the fleet is now non-WWII aircraft. How/why did this come to be?

Also, back in the day ('80s) there were a few Buchons, and a Spanish Ju-52. What happened to all the adversaries? I seem to recall some controversy about the Ju-52 sporting a swastika being an issue. Did the CAF finally just throw up their hands and say, "forget it"? Also, did the Swordfish and I-16 go away?

So many questions....thanks for the patience of the WIX braintrust!

[RyanShort1]

Whoever designed the layout did an okay job. Some silhouette images in there replacing other planes. Don't know why they couldn't find a silhouette of every plane. Curious about the new New England wing in New Hampshire and the costal squadron in Rhode Island. No sign of the Sikorsky R-4 though.

Pretty sure it's still here in Dallas.

[Stephen Rister]

The Swordfish is still here in Midland. Some aircraft were sold due to lack of sponsor units or type that couldn't sell rides.

Stephen

[Warbird Kid]

The Swordfish is still here in Midland. Some aircraft were sold due to lack of sponsor units or type that couldn't sell rides.

Stephen

I would have thought that bird would have been sold by now to the WWII Museum in New Orleans, or maybe found a buyer in Canada.

Very interesting, thanks for posting.

I used to be a member and regularly get the Dispatch ages ago. Always enjoyed fleet updates.

Can someone who is current explain to me the proliferation of post-WWII aircraft? L-17, T-28, etc.? It seems a good portion of the fleet is now non-WWII aircraft. How/why did this come to be?

Also, back in the day ('80s) there were a few Buchons, and a Spanish Ju-52. What happened to all the adversaries? I seem to recall some controversy about the Ju-52 sporting a swastika being an issue. Did the CAF finally just throw up their hands and say, "forget it"? Also, did the Swordfish and I-16 go away?

So many questions....thanks for the patience of the WIX braintrust!

It seems to me, that since the rebrand in the early 2,000s, the move has been to phase out alot of the foreign stuff altogether to focus on purchasing more entry level US aircraft (L-birds, trainers, etc.) that more wings can operationally handle, with the option to eventually acquire larger aircraft maybe either through the chain of command, or possibly acquiring it externally themselves. Here's what I can slap together. Anyone else chime in to correct / edit.

Swordfish - CAF Midland, TX
Ju-52 - Sold to the Military Aviation Museum - Virginia Beach, VA
HA-11112 - Sold overseas to Germany. Rebuilt as two seater. DE
A6M2 - Sold to Pearl Harbor Air Museum (I don't blame them given the notorious reputation that plane has had). Ford Island, HI
I-16 - Sold to Kermit Weeks in Polk City - FL

The SoCal group for whatever reason seems to be the holdout for almost all of the remaining foreign aircraft in the CAF fleet.
A6M2 Zero
BF108
Storch
Replica Kate (just announced on Facebook)

Only a few other aircraft are left:
Finch - Granby Texas
AN-2 - CAF HQ in Dallas
Mig 15s - Arizona Airbase

The only other "foreign" birds I can think of are the Tora Tora aircraft. Anyone else have anything?

[Warbirdnerd]

What is a supporting member?

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[flyingsailor]

As an alternative to full CAF Membership, you may become a Supporting member and receive:

A Supporting Membership Card
Monthly CAF magazine Digital Dispatch

When someone purchases a flight as part of the Living History Flight Experience (a flight on one of the CAF bombers, fighters etc), they become a supporting member.

To be a member of a Wing, Squadron or Detachment you must first be a CAF Colonel, Preservation Colonel, Life Member or Cadet.

Hope this helps,
Chris

What is a supporting member?

[phil65]

I remember donating some money to Diamond Lil and Gary made me a Colonel, miss that guy...

Phil

[Warbirdnerd]

As an alternative to full CAF Membership, you may become a Supporting member and receive:

A Supporting Membership Card
Monthly CAF magazine Digital Dispatch

When someone purchases a flight as part of the Living History Flight Experience (a flight on one of the CAF bombers, fighters etc), they become a supporting member.

To be a member of a Wing, Squadron or Detachment you must first be a CAF Colonel, Preservation Colonel, Life Member or Cadet.

Hope this helps,
Chris

What is a supporting member?

That splains it. Thank You

[Mark Allen M]

As an alternative to full CAF Membership, you may become a Supporting member and receive:

A Supporting Membership Card
Monthly CAF magazine Digital Dispatch

When someone purchases a flight as part of the Living History Flight Experience (a flight on one of the CAF bombers, fighters etc), they become a supporting member.

To be a member of a Wing, Squadron or Detachment you must first be a CAF Colonel, Preservation Colonel, Life Member or Cadet.

Hope this helps,
Chris

What is a supporting member?

I must be a supporting donor then.

[sandiego89]

Very interesting, thanks for posting.

I used to be a member and regularly get the Dispatch ages ago. Always enjoyed fleet updates.

Can someone who is current explain to me the proliferation of post-WWII aircraft? L-17, T-28, etc.? It seems a good portion of the fleet is now non-WWII aircraft. How/why did this come to be?

Also, back in the day ('80s) there were a few Buchons, and a Spanish Ju-52. What happened to all the adversaries? I seem to recall some controversy about the Ju-52 sporting a swastika being an issue. Did the CAF finally just throw up their hands and say, "forget it"? Also, did the Swordfish and I-16 go away?

So many questions....thanks for the patience of the WIX braintrust!

You may be overthinking it a bit, I would imagine it is a question of economics, not a deliberate conspiracy. The aviation "entry market" for most civilian operators would naturally be a less costly aircraft. One that be can purchased, fueled, hangered, maintained, insured and trained on by a casual civilian owner is always going to be more prevalent than an increasingly costly and rarer WWII aircraft. You can not compare the "costs" of a Navion between a Buschon or a Swordfish. L-17's, Russian/Chinese trainers and T-28's (although getting more expensive) are easier to obtain and afford. Light liaison types are also popular for this very reason. Sure everyone would want their own a P-51, but fewer can afford it.

[RyanShort1]

You may be overthinking it a bit, I would imagine it is a question of economics, not a deliberate conspiracy. The aviation "entry market" for most civilian operators would naturally be a less costly aircraft. One that be can purchased, fueled, hangered, maintained, insured and trained on by a casual civilian owner is always going to be more prevalent than an increasingly costly and rarer WWII aircraft. You can not compare the "costs" of a Navion between a Buschon or a Swordfish. L-17's, Russian/Chinese trainers and T-28's (although getting more expensive) are easier to obtain and afford. Light liaison types are also popular for this very reason. Sure everyone would want their own a P-51, but fewer can afford it.

Not to mention the cross section of qualified pilots.

[CAPFlyer]

So much of what's flying today has to do with 3 things - Insurance, Airshows, and People.

1) Insurance tells how expensive it is to have the airplane in so many ways. Not just the direct cost of hull and liability insurance for the CAF and its aircraft, but also the ever increasing cost of Yellow Tagged parts due to this as well.

2) Airshows and what they're willing to pay/provide for showing up. So many airshows would rather book a half dozen aerobatic acts for what it costs to get a B-25, much less a B-17 or FiFi to show up. Not blaming the warbird operators/CAF on this one. It's just a fact that the roughly 100 gallons of fuel and 1 qt. of oil an hour *per engine* that these warbirds burn, makes them very expensive to operate and thus expensive to have show up. Compare that to an Extra, Zlin, or Pitts that might burn 20 gallons of fuel and 1/10th of a quart of oil in a performance. Then, add in having the military show up for free? It means getting those big warbirds, and even many of the fighters is very difficult anymore. So, the CAF has pivoted towards more and more aircraft that can supplement that income with rides or are simply cheaper overall to operate.

3) As was said above - the pilots available. Getting qualified pilots for the bigger aircraft is getting harder and harder, not just because of the needed financial commitment, but also the seemingly ever increasing minimum requirements from #1 - Insurance. I know several pilots who 10 years ago would've been able to get insurance without problems on a Cessna 210 finding it nearly impossible now. Not just being insanely expensive to get it, but literally not being offered insurance at all. So, think how hard it is to get someone qualified for insurance on a B-17?

Sadly, I don't think these trends will be moving in the right direction anytime soon. I think the insurance issue can be addressed and might be coming based on some grass-roots efforts ongoing that are starting to gain traction and improve GA safety and training in a measurable way, but that takes time. Maybe too much time for the Warbird movement to stay viable, but that's yet to be seen.