In 1957, five Air Corps veterans got together and pooled their resources to once again experience the power and performance of a high-kickin' aircraft, the North American P-51 "Mustang." It was a fad that caught on, and others soon joined their ranks. Being (primarily) southerners, they jokingly started calling each other 'colonel'; therefore, when the group grew big enough to incorporate, only one name fit: Confederate Air Force.

(Unfortunately, political correctness finally seeped in and at some point they put the 'confederate' handle aside and renamed themselves the Commemorative Air Force.)

From these humble beginnings grew the largest organization of its type in the world: a group of men and women dedicated to obtaining and preserving military aircraft of World War II. They hold and participate in air shows around the country, bringing fully operational vintage aircraft to admirers, young and old.

In 1983, I attended their grand finale air show at (then) CAF headquarters in Harlingen, Texas. Thanks to my creative use of a press pass, I was able to sandbag a few rides. Come and relive with me those three wonderful October days in Texas...

	This is what the Confederate Air Force is all about -- how often do you see three C-47s in their natural element?
	If not for the non-uniformity of paint schemes applied to these North American Aviation AT-6/SNJ "Texans" -- and the sea of Nike shoes and Japanese cameras crowding the edge of the ramp -- you would think you were at Kelly Field, circa 1942, watching the young cadets who would carry the war to far-flung battlefields hone their skills.
	A rare Douglas A-20 "Havoc" medium bomber. I was doubly fortunate to have gotten a ride on this particular airplane. At the next year's show, it crashed off the Texas coast, killing the more than half-dozen people aboard.
	Another A-26 as photographed during one of several elaborate battle recreations eagerly staged by the CAF 'colonels'. The smoke, clouds, and sunlight reflecting off the wings give the plane an eerie, 'otherworldly' look.
	The high-performance Martin B-26 "Marauder" medium bomber was called  "The Widow-maker" owing to its unforgiving handling characteristics at the hands of novice (and even skilled) pilots.
	A Douglas A-26 "Invader" medium bomber painted in glossy black.
	The Vultee BT-13 "Valiant" basic trainer was better known as the 'vibrator' to student pilots. A brightly painted plane, green grass, a big, blue, inviting Texas sky...what better way to spend a sunny day? (Of course, this wasn't the way it really was, but rather the way it should have been.)
	Talk about your 'Twilight Zone' syndrome: an uninformed pilot might have broken out of the clouds and thought he had gone back in time about 40 years! The sights, the smells, and the sounds of a bygone era turn a small, otherwise obscure Texas airport into a mecca for us airplane hounds and a living history lesson for the rest.
	The "Devil Dog" is a B-25 painted up in Marine Corps colors. Along with the AT-6 and C-47, the B-25 was one of the most widely used warplanes among the armed services.
	A rare CASA-built version of the Junkers Ju-52/3M, called "Iron Annie" by the Germans. This was the Third Reich's version of the DC-3/C-47. It was used as a troop transport, cargo plane, paratroop ship, and a VIP transport for Adolf Hitler.
	The pride of the CAF is this collection of rescued nose art (pre-Politically Correct, obviously) from various bombers, etc.
	One of the high points of the show was this P-38L performing an extended aerobatic routine. Some of the stunts were done under one-engine-out conditions. (One of the local newspapers misreported that it was a PBY Catalina doing a 'hammerhead' maneuver. At the next morning's press briefing, the PRO brought it up, saying, "You do a hammerhead in a PBY but once.")

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