Commemorative Air Force

Name

Commemorative Air Force

Legal name

Commemorative Air Force

Website

https://commemorativeairforce.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1957

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Aviation Heritage Preservation

NAICS

Museums (712110), Historical Sites (712120)

akta.pro primary industry

Specialty Museums (e.g., Maritime, Aviation, Sports, Music, Film) (THAJADAF)

Keywords

• Warbird preservation
• Flying military museum
• Aviation education
• Living history flights
• Historic aircraft restoration

Headquarters

HQ city

Dallas

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Colonel membership at $225/year and Preservation Colonel membership at $325/year. Monthly payment plans available at $21/month and $28/month respectively. All membership payments are considered donations and are non-refundable.
2. Donations and Charitable Contributions: As a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization (EIN 74-1484491), CAF relies on charitable donations. Programs include the Heritage Club, Victory Plaza Brick Campaign, and general fundraising initiatives.
3. Aircraft Rides and Flight Experiences: Living History Flight Experiences are offered on many CAF aircraft, providing revenue while educating the public about historic military aviation.
4. 12 Planes of Christmas Campaign: Annual fundraising campaign featuring 12 aircraft undergoing or needing restoration work. Donors support specific aircraft preservation projects.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Commemorative Air Force operates the world's largest flying museum, maintaining a collection of over 180 historic military aircraft in flying condition. The organization preserves and restores warbirds, offers Living History Flight Experiences (paid rides on vintage aircraft), runs aviation education programs including the Henry B. Tippie National Aviation Education Center (NAEC), and engages the public through airshows, flyovers, and the Warbird Tube video/podcast series.

Product overview

The Commemorative Air Force is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization operating the world's largest collection of flying historic military aircraft — over 180 warbirds. Its core offering is the flying museum itself, supplemented by paid Living History Flight Experiences (aircraft rides), the CAF Warbird Tube weekly video/podcast program, and the Henry B. Tippie National Aviation Education Center (NAEC) for STEM-based aviation education. The organization also operates membership programs (Colonel and Cadet tiers), the CAF Red Tail Squadron education initiative focused on Tuskegee Airmen history, The Dispatch member magazine, an annual 12 Planes of Christmas fundraising campaign, a network of events and airshows (including the TORA! TORA! TORA! demonstration and Flying Legends of Victory Tour), and an online gift shop. No software platform or SaaS product is offered.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Red Tail Squadron: A volunteer-driven organization dedicated to educating audiences about the history and legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen
• Victory Circle
• Heritage Club
• Warbird Tube
• 12 Planes of Christmas
• Henry B. Tippie National Aviation Education Center (NAEC)
• TORA! TORA! TORA!
• Flying Legends of Victory Tour
• AirPower History Tour

Products and services

• World's Largest Flying Museum The Commemorative Air Force maintains and operates a collection of over 180 historic military aircraft, making it the world's largest flying museum. Aircraft are exhibited at airshows, events, and through rides programs to educate the public about military aviation history.
• Living History Flight Experience (Aircraft Rides)

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 180 historic military aircraft preserved and maintained in flying condition
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• NASAcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 May 2026The Southern Heritage Air Foundation (related CAF-affiliated organization) has partnered with NASA as a NASA ASTRO CAMP Community Partner to launch an Online Kid Zone offering aviation, space history, and STEM activities for children nationwide. The partnership also includes in-person NASA ASTRO CAMP sessions themed 'Galactic Explorers: The Next Generation' for children ages 8-11, with a Traveling NASA ASTRO CAMP Experiment Station debuting at CAF Aviation Discovery Day events.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• EAA (Experimental Aircraft Association): Hosts EAA AirVenture Oshkosh, the largest warbird gathering in the U.S., and operates Warbirds of America, the central warbird-owner community. CAF partners with EAA on Warbirds in Review and shares the same enthusiast, restoration, and event ecosystem.
• Yanks Air Museum: Chino, California-based warbird museum with a large collection of restored American military aircraft, several maintained in flying condition, and offering paid rides. Closely comparable to CAF in collection type, flight experience monetization, and volunteer-driven restoration model.
• Collings Foundation: Operates the Wings of Freedom Tour and a fleet of airworthy WWII aircraft (B-17, B-24, B-25, P-51) offering paid passenger flight experiences. Most direct commercial peer to CAF's Living History Flight Experience program and airshow tour business model.
• National Naval Aviation Museum: Located at NAS Pensacola, it preserves naval aviation history with a large collection of historic military aircraft and offers flight simulation and educational programs. Directly comparable to CAF in mission and audience (military aviation heritage and education).
• Military Aviation Museum: Virginia Beach-based warbird museum with one of the largest collections of flying WWII aircraft, including rare German and British types. Comparable in collection depth, flying-condition preservation, and living-history flight experience offerings.
• Mid-Atlantic Air Museum: Pennsylvania-based volunteer-driven warbird museum that restores aircraft to flying condition and hosts the annual World War II Weekend event. Comparable to CAF in volunteer-led restoration model, event-driven revenue, and WWII aviation focus.
• Flying Heritage Collection: Founded by the late Paul Allen, this Paine Field-based collection maintains multiple airworthy WWII combat aircraft and offers a comparable mission of preserving historically significant military aircraft in flying condition with public access.
• Palm Springs Air Museum: Non-profit flying museum preserving WWII, Korea, and Vietnam-era aircraft with multiple airworthy warbirds, paid flight experiences, and educational programming. Directly comparable in mission, revenue model (memberships + rides + donations), and event-driven operations.
• National Museum of the United States Air Force: Located at Wright-Patterson AFB, it is the world's largest military aviation museum and CAF's closest public-sector counterpart. Both preserve and exhibit U.S. military aircraft with an educational mission, though NMUSAF is government-operated and display-focused rather than focused on flying aircraft.

Broad incumbents

• Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum: The largest aviation museum in the world, with the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center. Comparable in mission and audience but operates at much larger scale, focuses on display rather than flying aircraft, and is federally chartered rather than member-supported.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/playlist?list=PL2zVUuI5biVWAewis1iFbv0JEg7k1m1KI

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Commemorative Air Force