About the Wing
History Made Here.Kept Alive Here.
A New Wing in the Pacific
On May 28, 2026, the Commemorative Air Force® officially chartered the Hawaii Wing, its first unit in the islands. We are based at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu, minutes from Pearl Harbor and the waters where American military aviation history turned.
The wing assembled its founding group of CAF Colonels in under three months and keeps growing. Its own PT-26 Cornell already flies. Our work is preserving American military aviation history and sharing it across the Pacific, through education programs, public flying, and commemorative events.
Hawaii holds a unique place in both American and aviation history. It is hard to imagine a better place to do this work.
December 7, 1941
Pearl Harbor & the Pacific War
Just after 7:48 on a Sunday morning, waves of Japanese carrier aircraft swept over O‘ahu and struck the U.S. Pacific Fleet at anchor in Pearl Harbor and the airfields at Hickam, Wheeler, Ford Island, and Kāne‘ohe. In under two hours more than 2,400 Americans were killed and nearly 200 aircraft destroyed, most caught on the ground. The battleship USS Arizona was lost with 1,177 of her crew.
The next day the United States declared war. The attack on Hawaii brought the nation into World War II and turned the islands into the forward base of the Pacific campaign. From here came the staging for Midway, the long island-hopping drive toward Japan, and four years of fighting that reached from Honolulu to Tokyo Bay.
The Hawaii Wing is based minutes from where that history happened. Keeping it alive, and keeping the aircraft flying, is the reason the wing exists.
The Trainer
The Trainer That Made the Pilots
The war that began at Pearl Harbor was fought in the air by pilots who had to be trained from scratch, tens of thousands of them. Nearly every one began in a primary trainer, and among the most widely flown was the Fairchild PT-19 family, which included the closed-canopy PT-26 Cornell.
Simple, stable, and forgiving, the Cornell taught cadets the fundamentals of flight before they ever moved on to fighters and bombers. More than 6,000 were built across the PT-19, PT-23, and PT-26 models.
The Hawaii Wing’s own Cornell, N49071, is a flying survivor of that era. It still has its original aircraft, engine, and propeller logbooks, along with a period Fairchild pilot training manual.
Flight Log
How We Got Here
1941
December 7, 1941
At 7:48 a.m., carrier aircraft of the Imperial Japanese Navy struck the U.S. Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor and airfields across Oʻahu. The attack drew the United States into World War II and made Hawaii the front line of the Pacific war. This is the history the Hawaii Wing works to keep alive.
1957
The CAF is founded
What begins with a single P-51 Mustang in Texas grows into the world's largest flying museum: the Ghost Squadron, a fleet of more than 175 vintage military aircraft kept in the air by volunteers.
2020
The Wildcat crosses the Pacific
The CAF's FM-2 Wildcat flies in Hawaii's 75th Anniversary Commemoration of the End of World War II. That mission planted the seed for a permanent CAF presence in the islands.
2026
The Hawaii Wing is chartered
On May 28, 2026, the CAF officially charters its first unit in Hawaii, based at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu, minutes from Pearl Harbor.
Next
Growing the ranks
The PT-26 Cornell already flies under Hawaii Wing colors. What the wing needs now is people: more Colonels to crew and care for the aircraft, run programs, and grow the CAF's presence in the islands.
The CAF in Hawaii, 2020
The Wildcat Came First
In 2020, the CAF’s FM-2 Wildcatcrossed the Pacific for Hawaii’s 75th Anniversary Commemoration of the End of World War II, flying tribute events over the islands. That mission planted the seed for a permanent CAF presence in Hawaii, the wing you see today.
The Wildcatis part of the CAF’s Ghost Squadron®, a fleet of more than 175 vintage military aircraft maintained in flying condition so the public can experience the sights and sounds of this history firsthand.
Wing Staff
Unit Leadership
A CAF unit is run entirely by volunteers. Most staff positions are still open as the wing grows. Every open role below is a chance to help build something from the ground up.
- Photo: Brian Columbus
CAF Col Brian Columbus
Unit Leader
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Executive Officer
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Adjutant
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Finance Officer
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Operations Officer
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Maintenance Officer
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Safety Officer
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Education Officer
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Public Information Officer
Interested in a staff role? Start with our membership form.