One of things we enjoy while traveling is visiting museums in small-town America. We realize not all travelers share our interest in small museums, but we nearly always find them fun and educational. They are mostly staffed by dedicated volunteers, usually seniors, who go out of their way to make our visits enjoyable. It is apparent they appreciate our interest in a place they consider an important part of their lives.

Many small museums we have visited house collections related to the history of the local community. Others pursue a specialized theme. Two previous columns described our visits to specialized museums: a Wisconsin museum that specialized in exquisite glass paperweights, and an Arkansas museum dedicated to women’s purses.

In late July, we enjoyed a visit to another specialized museum: a small Texas squadron of the Commemorative Air Force (formerly, Confederate Air Force). It could best be described as a living history museum of the air.

Roots of the Commemorative Air Force (CAF) date to 1957 when several ex-service pilots living in southern Texas purchased a P-51 Mustang. They later acquired two additional planes on their way to establishing an organization originally dedicated to saving at least one example of every military aircraft that participated in World War II. The mission has changed somewhat to emphasize education and concentrate on acquiring and maintaining planes with a story.

Initially operating as the Confederate Air Force, the organization in 1965 opened its first museum building in Mercedes, Texas, before moving to a larger facility in nearby Harlingen. Members voted in 2001 to change the name of the organization to Commemorative Air Force.

If You Go

Location: South side of Burnet, Texas, on South Water Street (U.S. 281). Burnet is about an hour northwest of Austin, Texas.

Visiting hours: The museum is open Wednesday (1 p.m. to 4 p.m.), Saturday (10 a.m. to 4 p.m.), and Sunday (1 p.m. to 4 p.m.).

Admission fee: Adults $5, Seniors and military $3, children under 12 $1.

Additional information: Call (512) 756-2226, or visit www.highlandlakessquadron.com.

Today’s Commemorative Air Force has grown to include 13,000 members and more than 165 aircraft representing over 60 types. The CAF is dispersed across the country in 76 units, big and small. Thirteen units (interchangeably called squadrons and wings), including the headquarters in Dallas, are in Texas.

Our July visit was to the CAF’s Highland Lakes Squadron in Burnet, Texas. What a fun morning it was! Several CAF members were there to tell us about their museum and planes. Harold Smith, who served in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War, pointed toward a case that contained a photo of his brother who was lost during WWII. Harold, one of the founders of the Burnet chapter, told us the squadron includes more than 50 active members, a number of whom live outside Burnet.

The museum is chock full of uniforms, weapons and personal effects of former airmen from the local area. Most of the exhibits have been donated by local veterans or their families. The museum even includes a gun assembly from the nose of a B-24 that visitors can squeeze into.

After browsing the museum, it was time to walk into the hanger where the squadron’s planes are parked and maintained. The organization currently has three flyable planes: a T-6 SNJ trainer, an L-17 Navion, and a C-47 Skytrain. A PT 19 is currently under restoration in a back corner of the hanger. The C-47 is appropriately named Bluebonnet Belle. Member Ed Holly told us the squadron purchased Bluebonnet Belle in 2002 for $110,000. According to Ed, it costs the squadron about $1,200 per hour to fly, during which it consumes 100 gallons of fuel.

The Highland Lakes squadron offers rides in each of its three flyable planes. A seat in the C-47 goes for $150 (minimum of six people), while the Navion costs $75 per seat, and the SNJ, which can hold a single passenger, is $225. The squadron’s pilots don’t live in Burnet, so advance reservations are requested.

The squadron’s main fundraiser is an annual air show that this year will take place September 9, and tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for seniors and military, and free for children under 5.

Our morning at Burnet’s air museum was time well spent. We viewed some interesting exhibits, got a close look at some beautiful aircraft, met some exceedingly nice people, and walked out the door with a smile on our faces. It was a good way to begin the day.