[7] It also runs the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies[8] and conducts social networking, public outreach, and national conferences and symposia.
Then an executive at Eastman Kodak, Curtis retired from the Army Air Forces in 1944 as a major general and was a World War I flying ace.
[10] While the group decided on the Air Force Association as the name, which was shared with an earlier group founded by Billy Mitchell, rejected names included the:[10] Consensus quickly formed that Jimmy Doolittle should be the first president, and in a January 1946 press conference, Doolittle announced the establishment of the Air Force Association.
The publication had been founded by Gen. Henry "Hap" Arnold, commanding general of the Army Air Forces from 1941 to 1946, who had ordered "a first-class, slick-paper magazine—highly readable—the best of its kind—with worldwide circulation" be produced for its airmen.
At its first AFA National Convention in Columbus, Ohio, General of the Army Dwight D. Eisenhower declared "the creation of the United States Air Force as an independent entity recognizes the special capabilities of airpower.
[10] The Air Force Association maintained a close relationship with Hollywood, which enabled it to directly communicate the need for airpower to the public.
At AFA's second national convention, it held "Operation Wing Ding" at Madison Square Garden and featured its own vice president Jimmy Stewart along with Bob Hope, Marlene Dietrich, Lena Horne, Clark Gable, Dinah Shore, Jack Dempsey, Jerry Colonna, Jane Froman, Carmen Miranda, Margaret O'Brien, Walter Pidgeon, Herb Shriner, Gypsy Rose Lee, Joe E. Brown, Jinx Falkenburg, and The Rockettes.
The performance was lauded as "the greatest show ever put on in Madison Square Garden" by the venue's president, John Kilpatrick.
In May 1959, right before the first graduation at the United States Air Force Academy, AFA sponsored its first outstanding-squadron dinner, which would later become a highlighted event for the association.
Featuring aircraft from 52 nations, the World Congress of Flight was the first international, and the largest, air and space show in the United States and was televised by NBC to over 40 million viewers and covered in Life magazine.
[10] In 1963, the Air Force Association adopted a statement of policy opposing the Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, infuriating Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara.
The article was republished as the lead in Reader's Digest, read on the floor of the United States Congress, and entered into the Congressional Record six times.
Construction began on the memorial near the Pentagon in 2004; it was dedicated in 2006 in a ceremony attended by President George W. Bush, an Air National Guard veteran.
[11] In 2009, AFA established the CyberPatriot program to prepare high school students in careers in cybersecurity or other STEM fields.
[14] As part of its education mandate the association publishes Air Force Magazine and the online electronic news brief Daily Report.
[citation needed] AFA hosts professional development conferences which feature speakers, workshops, trade shows and presentations by Air Force and national defense leaders.
The organization has a public policy and research arm, the Mitchell Institute for Airpower Studies run by director Dr. Rebecca Grant.
[16] AFA's educational programs and scholarships are intended to encourage Air Force members to continue their education, provide funds to Air Force spouses working towards a degree, and administer grants that develop programs promoting math and science skills among young people.
AFA was a key organization in building the United States Air Force Memorial and continues to be involved in its day-to-day operations.