Commemorative Air Force - Birmingham Escadrille

05/27/2026

Great view of our Jany! Thanks Jeff Daily for a great picture!!

05/13/2026

Our next tug.

05/05/2026

Come see us this weekend out at the Bessemer Airport!

Pat Grogan and Shirley Sukkel, both with the Commemorative Air Force, joined CBS 42+ Mornings to discuss the Flying Legends of Victory Tour, which is making a stop at the Bessemer National Airport …

04/22/2026

The American Heritage Museum’s Ju 87 Stuka restoration is advancing rapidly, with major structural components like the wings and horizontal stabilizer nearing completion as the project shifts from fabrication to full assembly.

04/01/2026

An invitation to come out in May at see some historic WWII aircraft.

Check the link to a great video by Matt Kendall.

03/09/2026

A great memory from Matt Kendall from 2024 at Shelby County Airport. Hope they will come again. Maybe Soon!!!

Airbase Arizona - Commemorative Air Force B-17 Sentimental Journey & B-25 Maid in the ShadeOver the past week, I took the opportunity to film two iconic WWII...

03/01/2026

A great article about the Wildcat.

On February 28, 1943, the floatplane variant of the Grumman F4F Wildcat, designated the F4F-3S and nicknamed "Wildcatfish," made its first flight. This experimental aircraft was a modification of the standard F4F-3 fighter, equipped with twin Edo Model 7170 floats and additional vertical stabilizers to maintain control. Developed for the United States Navy, the Wildcatfish was intended to provide a seaborne fighter option that could operate without the need for conventional airstrips or aircraft carriers, particularly in remote areas of the Pacific Theater.

The impetus for the Wildcatfish project arose during the early stages of World War II, when the rapid Japanese advance across the Pacific had captured or threatened many airfields and made conventional basing difficult. The Japanese made good use of floatplane variants during this time like the A6M2-N "Rufe" which was essentially a Zero on Floats.

American planners though this might be the way to maintain fighter coverage in island chains where infrastructure was limited or nonexistent. The concept of a float-equipped fighter offered the possibility of dispersed operations from sheltered lagoons or open water, and Grumman was tasked with converting a Wildcat to fulfill this niche role.

The modifications, while conceptually promising, significantly affected the aircraft's performance, particularly in speed and maneuverability. The heavy floats reduced speed and agility to the point where the aircraft would have been vulnerable in combat. Furthermore, by the time the prototype flew, the strategic situation had evolved. The United States had begun to regain the initiative in the Pacific, constructing airstrips on newly captured islands and deploying more capable aircraft from carriers. The Wildcatfish was thus rendered obsolete before it could enter production, and the project was quietly abandoned, leaving the lone prototype as a footnote in the broader history of wartime aviation experimentation.

The same experiment was tried in early 1942-43 with another aircraft we have in our fleet today... can you guess which?

02/28/2026

Great weekend at the Commemorative Air Force leadership conference. Attended several fantastic seminars on social media, financial development and PT-19 maintenance.

12/05/2025

The CAF Birmingham Escadrille will be having their December meeting on Saturday, December 6th. We will meet in the Shelby County Airport conference room beginning at 10am.

09/26/2025

I would like to invite our members and friends to join us on Saturday morning at the Bessemer Airport. Set up at 8am. Merchandise and membership information will be available.

08/07/2025

Our first cafe stop after 5000 steps in Paris.