Commemorative Air Force to Host Education Day for Local Students
DALLAS - Sept. 16, 2014 - The Commemorative Air Force (CAF) will host a free Education Day for students across North Texas on Thursday, Oct. 2, 2014, at Dallas Executive Airport as part of the CAF WWII Air Expo. The CAF WWII Air Expo’s Education Day will offer a full day of interactive programs and activities, including the CAF Rise Above exhibit. Special guests including World War II veterans and Jamail Larkins, president and CEO of Ascension Aviation and a 2014 Forbes 30 Under 30, will meet with the students.
"CAF’s Education Day is a wonderful opportunity for local students to learn more about aviation and American history," said Stephan Brown, president and CEO of the Commemorative Air Force. “We will have 20 of the most historic planes from World War II on site to make this a truly interactive, hands-on experience. Just as importantly, the students will meet with World War II veterans and CAF members to hear their first-hand accounts of the war and that era.”
The CAF WWII Air Expo’s Education Day will give students the opportunity to tour bomber cockpits and watch the warplanes take to the skies. Education Day will also include the CAF Red Tail Squadron’s Rise Above Traveling Exhibit, a 160-degree panoramic screen movie theater that highlights the courage and determination of the Tuskegee Airmen, who overcame obstacles to train and fight as U.S. Army Air Corps pilots.
“The 332nd fighter group was the first unit of all African American military aviators in the U.S. Armed Forces,” said Brown. “As bomber escorts during World War II, the Tuskegee Airmen, as they were called, fought valiantly for the freedom of their country. Their amazing legacy is told in a truly compelling way through the Rise Above Traveling Exhibit. Unlike any other exhibit, Rise Above will give local students a front row seat to an important part of our country’s history.”
Students will also have the opportunity to meet with Jamail Larkins during Education Day. Larkins was called an “Aerospace Mogul in the Making,” by Inc. Magazine and is the first ambassador for Aviation & Space Education for the U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Aviation Administration. As a young aviator and successful businessman, Larkins will be a true inspiration to students who might feel success is out of their reach.
The CAF WWII Air Expo will be held Oct. 3-5 at Dallas Executive Airport, located at 5303 Challenger Drive in Dallas. Admission to the Expo is $15 for adults and $5 for children ages 6 through 17. Children age 5 and under can attend for free. Admission tickets can be purchased at the gate. Parking is free. Airplane ride reservations may be made in advance online at www.AirPowerExpo.org or at the event. Discounts apply for online reservations.
About the Commemorative Air Force
The Commemorative Air Force honors the men and women who built, maintained and flew in these airplanes during World War II. The organization believes that is best accomplished by maintaining the airplanes in flying condition; often taking the airplanes to the people allowing them to experience the sights and sounds of aircraft in flight.
Collecting, restoring and flying historical aircraft for more than half a century, the Commemorative Air Force operates the world’s largest flying collection of vintage military aircraft. The CAF is dedicated to Honoring American Military Aviation through flight, exhibition and remembrance. A non-profit educational association, the CAF has more than 12,000 members and a fleet of over 162 airplanes distributed throughout the country to units located in 26 states for care and operation. For more information, visit www.commemorativeairforce.org.
