Step Back In Time With Central Texas Wing

“Walking through our hanger doors is like stepping back in time to World War II.”

By, Terra Rivers, Managing Editor

In San Marcos, the San Marcos River is often the main attraction for tourists. But like every town, there are many sights off the beaten track.

San Marcos is home to its own 1,350-acre public-use airport. Nestled in the back hanger is Central Texas Wing.

CENTEX Wing is a local unit of the Commemorative Air Force, a non-profit organization devoted to collecting and maintaining aircraft from the World War II era.

The Commemorative Air Force began with a single plane, a P-51 Mustang, purchased in 1957 by Lloyd Nolen and a group of ex-service pilots.

According to the Commemorative Air Force’s website, the group’s mission became “save an example of every aircraft that flew during World War II. It was a mission no one else was undertaking.”

By 1961, the CAF had a total of nine planes in its fleet. In 2001, members of the CAF voted to change the name from the Confederate Air Force to the Commemorative Air Force. Today, the organization has approximately 13,000 members and owns a fleet of more than 165 planes. Its members live in every state and 28 foreign countries.

In 1974, a group of local members officially formed the Central Texas Wing of the Commemorative Air Force, a local unit with a headquarters in San Marcos.

Central Texas Wing currently has 150 members and seven aircraft in its hanger: T-6 Texas “Red Tail”, AT-6 Triple Nickel, a BT-13, B-25 Yellow Rose, C-45, U-3A Blue Canoe and P-39 Bell Airacobra “Miss Connie”. In June, a Bell 47 helicopter was added to the hanger.

The hanger is also home to the cockpit of an A-4 Skyhawk, which were flown by the Blue Angels until 1969. The U.S. Navy retired its last A-4 Skyhawk in 2003. The unit owns a WWII Era “Willys Jeep” and a Republic Truck from World War I.

Visitors to the hanger can explore Central Texas Wing’s museum, which has a variety of artifacts from the Korean, Vietnam and World Wars on display. This includes a mock-up of the U.S. Hornet and the 16 B-25B “Mitchell” Bombers from the “Doolittle Raids.”

Tim Black, the fundraising contact for the unit, said veterans, who flew B-25s in World War II, are asked to sign the hanger doors of the unit’s B-25, the “Yellow Rose”, when they visit the hanger.

Black is a member and a pilot for Central Texas Wing; he served in the U.S. Air Force for 25 years and flew for UPS before retiring.

Black said there was a saying, “You can either grow up or be a pilot. You can do both.” He continued to say he liked the lifestyle being a pilot would give him.

CENTEX Wing’s B-25 is a B-25 J “Mitchell” multi-engine trainer and bomber.

“It is painted in the colors of the 340^th Bomb Group, 488^th Bomb Squadron, which participated in the North African campaign against the Axis Powers in 1943.”

The nose art on the Yellow Rose took a year to complete and was done by local San Antonio Artist Fernando Cortez. Central Texas Wing received the Yellow Rose after it had spent several years in the hands of private businesses. During restoration, the plane had to be restored to a World War II configuration.

On board the aircraft are 13 50. Caliber machine guns. The crew consisted of a pilot and co-pilot, a navigator and five gunmen.

All of the Central Texas Wing’s aircrafts are in flying condition and are maintained by in-house mechanics. All the work done on an aircraft in the fleet is signed off on by A&P Mechanic, which is an aircraft maintenance technician with an Airframe and/or Powerplant certificate. Most of the test flights and displays are performed on Saturdays.

Black said he and the other pilots love flying the airplanes and taking them out and showing them off.

CENTEX Wing also sells rides on some of their aircrafts. Currently, three of the aircrafts, U-3, T-6 and B-25, have the permitting and approval for rides to the public. The C-45 is also about to be approved for flights. Rides cost from $75 to $450 depending on the aircraft.

Central Texas Wing also offers flyovers for sporting events and offers event spaces for rental. Event planners can rent out the Officer’s Club, which seats 50 to 60 people for a sit-down meal. The space overlooks one of the three asphalt runways and has a full kitchen and bar. The hanger is also available for event rentals, and CENTEX Wing personnel will be on site to keep and run the unit’s museum open for guests.

Central Texas Wing also hosts several events throughout the year. During Veteran Weekend, the hanger steps back into the 1940s for its BBQ dinner and “WWII USO” dance. The event has live music from the Sentimental Journey Orchestra of Kerrville, Texas.

Black said while dressing up isn’t required, many guests step back in time with the swing music in their 1940s attire. 

According to the Central Texas Wing website, the dance is how “we celebrate and remember all the brave men and women who gave us our freedom.”

In September, there will be a Central Texas Wing Classic, a golf tournament, benefiting the Central Texas Wing of the Commemorative Air Force; the fundraiser helps the organization fund restoration projects and the level of maintenance required to keep their historic aircrafts in flying condition. The event takes place at the Onion Creek Country Club in Austin.

The Central Texas Wing also has an “aviation and history” library, which is open and free to the public. The walls are covered in artwork donated by artists; many of them are signed by the men who flew in the depicted quadrants and squads. Model planes of aircrafts flown in the Korean War, Vietnam War, World War I and World War II are displayed around the room.

In 2015, the lead C-47, “That’s All Brother,” from the D-Day invasion was found in a scrapyard in Wisconsin. On June 5 and 6, 1944, “That’s All Brother” led 840 C-47s into Normandy to drop more than 13,000 paratroopers behind enemy lines during the night.

According to the Commemorative Air Force website, the lead C-47 is scheduled to be part of the 75^th anniversary of the historic D-Day flight.

Currently, the aircraft is being restored to the original D-Day configuration and to flying condition. The restoration process is anticipated to be completed late this fall, at which point, it will be brought to its permanent home in the Central Texas Wing headquarters in San Marcos.

While admission to the museum, library and hanger is free, there is a donation box at the entrance for interested parties to help fund future projects.

CENTEX Wing’s says, “Walking through our hanger doors is like stepping back in time to World War II.”

All Photographs Taken By Terra Rivers