"What started as a hobby became an urgent mission to preserve history."

Special note from Commemorative Air Force Headquarters:

"The CAF is the world’s largest flying museum. With more than 165 flying World War II-era aircraft, we have accomplished a great feat of preservation, saving many of these airplanes from the cutting torch, or smelter. To get to the heart of what drives the CAF, and our 11,000 members, it is important to look at why these airplanes were saved.

In truth, our reasoning today for continuing to save and preserve these airplanes, is not altogether different from why our founders pledged themselves to the task more than 60 years ago. The airplanes are a vessel for stories. Human stories of the greatest generation, of courage, perseverance and dedication, but they are also monuments to those who never came back. The airplanes were saved so that these stories could be shared, so that the lessons of the greatest generation would not fade away and be forgotten.

When it comes right down to it – the airplanes were saved for education."