The Highland Lakes Squadron

World War II Aviation Museum

Museum Hours 

Sunday  1 pm - 4 pm 

Wednesday  1 pm - 4 pm

Saturday 10 am - 4 pm

Located on the airport in Burnet, Texas on Highway 281 South.

2402 S. Water Street

Unmanned office phone:  512-756-2226. Please leave voicemail. 

Media/Press inquiries email: caf@tstar.net.

The Highland Lakes Squadron founded in 1992 and is a branch of the Commemorative Air Force.  We are a working museum, dedicated to preserving vintage World War II aircraft and other precious artifacts.  We are open to the public 3 days a week, and can arrange field trips and special events in our hangar. Donations are accepted and very appreciated to the cover costs of the HLS CAF efforts to Educate, Honer and Inspire the next generation of pilots and mechanics while preserving the precious history of the Greatest Generation to today's Veterans. 

Museum History

The Highland Lakes Squadron of the Commemorative Air Force was chartered 5 April 1992. If a single individual can be credited as the founder it would be Col Harold Smith. Col Smith was chosen as the first Squadron Leader but sadly passed on February 17, 2019.

The Squadron's first organized events were held in April 1992, a fly-in, held two days after the Charter was received from CAF Headquarters, and a hangar dance. The fly-in was repeated in March of 1993. From 1994 to the present the Unit has sponsored the annual Bluebonnet Air Show held each March on the third Saturday. 

Aircraft

Initially the Squadron had no aircraft assigned although the B-25 Yellow Rose was in the hangar for the first hangar dance. The first aircraft based in the hangar was a red PT-17 Stearman owned by Larry Lorenzo. This plane was restored and flown by Lefty Gardner. The second was the CAF's P-40. The P-40 is the aircraft that appeared on the first Squadron logo until the current logo featuring the C-47 was adopted. An L-5, later sold, was the next aircraft. Then came a P-51 owned by Lefty Gardner and the CAF's founder, Lloyd Nolan.

The famous P-38 "White Lightning" owned by Lefty Gardner, and now in the hands of the Red Bull organization, arrived in 1993. This aircraft was based here until a 2002 accident resulted in significant damage to the aircraft. In 2003 the P-38 was removed from our hangar. Other privately owned aircraft that were based here were Stearmans and a PT-19. 

The aircraft currently in our hangar include the L-17 Navion, the AT-6/SNJ-4, a PT-19 'Cornell', and C-47 "Texas Zephry". All are owned by the Commemorative Air Force. The L-17 was the first Squadron airplane, obtained from another CAF Squadron in 1996. The C-47 was donated by a private owner, Mr. Karl Ritter of Brady, Texas in December 2020 and was moved to Burnet in late 2022. The restoration is on-going. The PT-19 was on static display at the then CAF Headquarters in Midland, Texas until moved to Burnet for restoration in 2005. This aircraft in nearing a twenty year restoration process and it is hoped to be in the air in mid to late 2025. The AT-6/SNJ-4, while owned by the CAF, was operated by a sponsor group. It was restored, primarily by a Squadron member, and moved here in 2005. More information on the planes currently in our hangar is available under the Aircraft tab.

Museum

Artifacts on display in our museum were obtained from a multitude sources and the collection continues to expand. Most items have a local, community flavor having been donated by Veterans or their families from in and around the Burnet and Marble Falls area. These include artifacts from a P-38 pilot who served in New Guinea in the Pacific Theater, a B-17 Top Turret Gunner and engineer who flew 35 missions over occupied Europe, a B-17 Navigator who was shot down and spent 18 months in a German prisoner-of-war camp, a B-17 Co-pilot who flew 30 missions over Europe, a B-24 gunner and brother of our founder, who did not return from a mission for which he volunteered, and a German test pilot. Most of the World War II gun and knife collection on display was assembled by Col Bill Pair. After Col Pair's death his collection was purchased from his estate by the HLS Pilot's Auxiliary, a temporary sub-group of the Highland Lakes Squadron, and then donated to the Museum.

Membership

We have no paid staff or personnel at the Highland Lakes Squadron. All flying, maintenance, and the operation of the Museum is performed by volunteers. In addition to appearance fees obtained by our historic aircraft at air shows and ride programs, the Squadron is financed by donations, the annual Bluebonnet Airshow, Museum admissions, and the sale of merchandise through our PX. The PX is made up of Squadron shirts, hats and coins, general military service mementos, calendars, models, dog tags, and metal pictures. The Museum's Dog Tag machine was procured by Col George Taylor from an Austin Department store where it had sat gathering dust and rust for more than 10 years. Col Taylor partially rehabilitated the machine so it was a useful revenue producer. In late 2006 the machine received a complete restoration and now functions as it did during the war years. 

Squadron membership is still only $25.00 per year.  You must join the main Commenorative Air Force organiztion as well. This yearly contribution schedule can be found on our Home page as well as www.commemorativeairforce.org. 

Founders

Much credit must be given to the Centex Wing (San Marcos, TX) of the CAF in the founding of the Squadron. Of the 26 initial members, 20 including Col Smith were also members of the Centex Wing. The founding members were:

*Bob Ayres * Lil Ayres * Jack Bass * James Boyd * Robert Breakey Sr. * Doug Compton * Laird Ferguson * Gary Garrett * Bob Hillstrom * Joe Hooten * John Hoover * Robert Jones * Jack King * Fran King * C.Y. Norman * Jan Parker * Billie Pratt * Leroy Riser * Johnny Sartain * Marilyn Smith * Buck Weaver * Lonie Wilkerson