About CAF Rainier Squadron

CAF’s mission is to educate, inspire, and honor through flight and living history experiences.

It began with a single plane.

Lloyd Nolen and a small group of ex-service pilots from the Rio Grande Valley in Texas pooled their money to purchase a P-51 Mustang in 1957. They formed a loosely defined organization to share the pleasure and expense of maintaining the Mustang.

A short while later, the group added a pair of F8F Bearcats to the P-51 Mustang. At this point, the mission of the CAF became clear: save an example of every aircraft that flew during World War II – a mission no one else was undertaking.

What started as a hobby became an urgent objective to preserve history.

Today, CAF has nearly 13,000 members in every state and 28 countries. Members have formed units in 26 states and four countries. CAF museums and units have over 175 aircraft of more than 60 different types.

Around 2016-2017, a local warbird pilot decided that, despite the Pacific Northwest having a good community of warbird pilots, organizations, and museums, it was missing the unique flavor of CAF. Officially formed in 2018, Rainier Squadron was the first CAF unit in the Pacific Northwest in decades. Over the next few challenging years, we worked to obtain and bring to flying status our first aircraft, a 1944 AT-19 which served in the UK Royal Navy.

Unit Staff

For general inquiries, e-mail info@cafrainier.org.

Commanding Officer

Logan Shepard
co@cafrainier.org

Executive Officer

John Smutny
xo@cafrainier.org

Finance Officer

David "Woody" Woodcock
finance@cafrainier.org

Adjutant

Markus Vargo
adjutant@cafrainier.org

Operations Officer

Tom "Duke" Wayne
opso@cafrainier.org

Maintenance Officer

Rich Heilman
mx@cafrainier.org

Safety Officer

Pete Jackson

Education Officer

Open

Development Officer

Open
development@cafrainier.org

Training Coordinator

Bob Stoney

IT / Webmaster

Open
webmaster@cafrainier.org

Communication Coordinator

Grant Hasting
membership@cafrainier.org

Events/Rides Coordinator

Simon Butler
events@cafrainier.org

Nonprofit Information

Commemorative Air Force is an IRS recognized 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, EIN 74-1484491. View CAF’s IRS letter, audited financial reports, and annual reports. CAF is a registered Washington state non-profit, UBI #602-817-946.