Camarillo Airport, February 2008

Camarillo Airport is an interesting airport with a rich history. Originally the Oxnard Army Air Force Base, the airport has hosted P-51 Mustangs, F-101 Voodoos and a number of other aircraft during it's years as a military base. P-51 Mustang pilots were trained there during WWII. It is ironic the number of aircraft that are at the airport today that are former cold war adversary aircraft. During the Cold War, the base hosted interceptor squadrons. These squadrons had fighters that would scramble to intercept enemy aircraft, which at the time were likely Soviet aircraft. Today, Camarillo is home to several MiGs, Yakovlevs and other Eastern Bloc aircraft. The Commemorative Air Force's Southern California Wing has a nice collection of vintage WWII aircraft, including an authentic Japanese Zero.

Below are galleries taken over the course of two Saturdays during February. The airport is busy with activity on Saturdays and the pattern gets busy when the weather is nice, especially if it has been bad for a few weeks. When the skies are clear and the weather sunny after a week or more of rain, people want to get out and fly.

Aircraft as Art	Artifacts in the CAF Museum	Ercoupe	Helicopters
Lancair	Maintainers and Magicians	Miscellaneous Aircraft	Mitsubishi Zero
P-51D Mustang "Pecos Bill"	PT-19 Cornell	People	Piaggio P-180 Avanti
T6/SNJ Texan	T-28 Trojan	Van's RVs	Yak-11 Moose Replica