hidden at the back of the San Marcos Municipal Airport, is one of the few remaining World War II airplane hangars, now the home of the Centex Wing of the Commemorative Air Force and the organization’s museum. This hangar is one of three built on the site in 1942 during the desperate days that followed the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Two of the hangars have long since been demolished, but this one remains. Built of wood, this voluminous structure houses several World War II airplanes including a Mitchell B-25 twin-engine bomber, similar to the ones used in Lt Col. Jimmy Doolittle’s daring raid on Japan five months after Pearl Harbor.
The CenTex Wing hangar houses two CAF aircraft for which the Wing has maintenance and restoration responsibility: a very-rare flying P-39 Bell Airacobra, and the U-3A "Administrator". We have a tenant unit, The Yellow Rose Squadron of the CAF, which is responsible for maintaining and operating the B-25 "Yellow Rose". The CAF replica "Kate" #310 is always in the hangar, when not flying air shows with the "Tora, Tora, Tora!" group. Two other CAF aircraft are housed part-time with us, replica "Kate" #356, and the Bell P-63 King Cobra. The P-63 is currently undergoing major maintenance in the hanger. Other aircraft in the hangar are privately owned by CAF members, and used to support the missions of the CAF. Among these are 3 AT-6 Texan types, a Japanese Zero replica, built for the movie Tora, Tora, Tora, a Chinese-built CJ-6A trainer, the Beech T-34A Mentor, and outside on the ramp is a Lockheed T-33 "Shooting Star" jet trainer.