Santa Barbara, California November 10, 2015) - Marketing Students from Santa Barbara City College are trying to raise funds to restore the one of a kind WWII Bomber Airplane, the PBJ-1J Mitchell. The plane has gone through a restoration process over the past 20 years. The restoration solely relies on donations. All of the men and women who have been a part of the restoration process have been volunteers. All of the funds will go directly to the non-profit organization CAF SoCal Museum in Camarillo, which is where the plane is located.
The PBJ-1J Mitchell was important during World War II, and was used for special missions across the Pacific war including the Philippines, Iwo Jima, Saipan, and Okinawa. Mark Russell, Crew Chief at the PBJ, has been a part of the restoration for 22 years. According to Mark, this plane is a symbol of history that is important to the future. Mark says, ”It’s a part of history. A part of history that we have to remember because when we forget history, we tend to repeat it. War time isn't something we want to repeat over and over”.
Read more about the PBJ-1J Mitchell, the crew, the students, the crowd funding, and watch the video at: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/pbj-1-restoration-the-last-remaining-wwii-bomber#/story
The PBJ-1J flew into Camarillo from Midland, Texas in 1993 and the restoration process began. Once the airplane is restored the SoCal Team will take it to air shows to perform and offer rides in the aircraft. The mission of the CAF SoCal is to honor American Military Aviation through flight, exhibition and remembrance.
The marketing group is called the Melting Pot Marketing Team. The reason for the name is that each person in the group is representing a different country. Sweden, Netherlands, the Philippines and America are a few of the nations represented. The Melting Pot Marketing Team member Maximilian Adlerstraahle says, ”We are a motivated group of people that are excited about raising money for the PBJ-1J Mitchell WWll bomber airplane. All of us have always been interested and excited about American history. It is a privilege for us to have the opportunity to preserve this one of a kind air plane and on behalf of us and CAF SoCal we are ever so grateful for any contributions”.
All donations are tax deductible.
For more information about the CAF SoCal visit www.cafsocal.com.The restoration hangar at Camarillo airport is open: Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Regular updates on the progress of the PBJ at https://www.facebook.com/officialcafsocal?fref=ts
The Southern California Wing of the Commemorative Air Force. The Commemorative Air Force (CAF) is an all-volunteer organization, with members from all walks of life, dedicated to preserving the history of WWII aircraft for generations to come. The CAF is a non-profit 501(c)3, privately funded and totally self-supporting organization.
Our mission is TO HONOR AMERICAN MILITARY AVIATION THROUGH FLIGHT, EXHIBITION AND REMEMBRANCE.
