This former Air Force Base in Atwater, California, was named after General F.W. Castle who was leading an air division of B-17 bombers over Liege, France during World War II. His aircraft lost an engine en route to the target and fell from the formation and was attacked by German fighters. The aircraft was badly damaged and all the crew, with the exception of the pilot and General Castle, managed to bail out. As the aircraft was over allied troops on the ground, Castle refused to jettison his bomb load. The aircraft exploded and General Castle, and his pilot, were killed. The based was honoured with his name in January of 1948.

Through its history, Castle AFB was home to aircraft such as the B-29, B-36, B-47, B-52 and air-to-air refueling aircraft the KC-97 and KC-135 and was home to the 93rd Bombardment Wing, Strategic Air Command. In 1995, the 93rd was inactivated and the base was closed. The Caste Air Museum was started by some folks dedicated to preserving the history of USAF aircraft roughly 10 years after the United States Air Force's Heritage Program had been formed. Today, the museum houses a vast array of USAF aircraft as well as a number of Allied aircraft.

One of the first aircraft you'll see when you arrive at the museum is the famous SR-71 Blackbird. Still considered as one of Kelly Johnson's most advanced aircraft, the SR-71, despite the dust and dirt covering the aircraft, still has a look of the future to it!

After entering the actual museum grounds, the assortment of aircraft you'll see is amazing. From the single engine Vultee Valiant to the massive B-36 Peacemaker bomber, the variety of aircraft within the museum grounds is astounding to say the least. One of the first aircraft you might come across is the Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress "Virgin's Delight." Though the B-17 was flown by the RAF as well as the RCAF, most B-17's flew with the US Air Force performing daylight bombing in the European, Pacific and Far East theatres of war.

Another famous Boeing aircraft is the B-29A Super Fortress "heavy bomber." There were close to 4,000 B-29s manufactured in four different plants by three different companies, Boeing, Martin and Bell. This B-29A, "Razi 'n Hell," was restored using parts from 3 different B-29s, including its namesake. The B-29 flew mostly in the Pacific Theatre against Japanese targets, including the dropping of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The B-29 also flew during the Korean War however, it was eventually relegated to night bombing with the appearance of the MiG 15.

Another of the big bombers is the Consolidated-Vultee B-24M Liberator, an ungainly looking four engine brute of an aircraft. The B-24 was used in all theatres of war flying with several allied countries including the US with one of the most famous raids of World War II bombing oilfields in Ploesti, Romania. They also flew with the RAF as a maritime patrol aircraft and with the RCAF protecting convoys crossing the Atlantic from the threat of U-boats between Newfoundland and Iceland. More than 18,000 B-24's were built however there are few surviving aircraft today, with only one Liberator currently airworthy, flying with the Collings Foundation.

Moving along you'll come across one of the odder looking aircraft in the museum's inventory, the Boeing KC-97L Stratofreighter/tanker. Though originally designed as a bomber, Boeing created a civilian version known as the Stratocruiser which flew with several airlines including BOAC, Pan Am, United and Northwest Airlines. The tanker version was fitted for air-to-air refueling using a flying-boom which was slung under the tail and could off-load as much as 15,000 gallons of fuel. The museum aircraft was originally built as KC-97G but modified to the "L" model with the fitting of two jet engines.

There are more than just four engine bombers in the museum park. An assortment of two engine aircraft from the same era grace the museum's inventory including the Douglas B-23 Dragon, which was considered obsolete at the start of the war and was relegated to anti-submarine patrols and transport. Another of the museum's two engine aircraft is the Boeing B-18 Bolo which was developed from the Boeing DC-2, a successful commercial airline aircraft. The aircraft also flew with the RCAF as the Digby Mk I in an anti-submarine role.

The venerable A-26B Invader is another but somewhat more famous two engine aircraft. The A-26 entered service during the latter part of the war in 1944 and was built in two versions, the A-26B and the A-26C, with the A-26B outfitted with six .50 cal machine guns in the nose and the A-26C with only two machine guns but with a glass nose for use by the navigator/bombardier. The Invador saw service during World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam war. Though many A-26's still fly in civilian roles, it flew its last military combat mission in 1969, having served for 25 years!

Other propeller driven aircraft of the same era include the Curtis C-46 Commando, Douglas C-47A Skytrain, Lockheed Lodestar, North American B-25J Mitchell, North American AT-6 Texan and the Vultee BT-13 Valiant. The history of these aircraft round out a remarkable amount of service with multiple countries over many, many years. Aircraft such as the C-47 (also known as the DC-3, Gooney Bird and Dakota) and the C-46, still fly today as cargo and passenger service aircraft such as with Buffalo Airways of the famed TV show, "Ice Pilots."

There are also some fantastic post-war propeller driven aircraft you'll see as you walk the grounds. One of the most iconic of those aircraft is the de Havilland of Canada DHC-2 (UA-6) Beaver. Originally designed as a "utility" bush aircraft, the Beaver also found a niche in military service and could operate on wheels, skis and floats. This multi-purposed aircraft was given the nickname of the "flying jeep" by the US military for its ability to carry just about anything that would fit inside or on to the aircraft. The Beaver was the first foreign-built aircraft the US military purchased since the end of World War II, purchasing some 980 aircraft from de Havilland Canada.

The Fairchild C-119 "Flying Boxcar" is a rear-loading transport aircraft which saw action during the Korean War operating from bases in Japan. C-119's were also used during construction of the "DEW line," (Distant Early Warning Line), a system of radar air defence stations in Canada's high arctic as well as Alaska's Aleutian Islands, Greenland and Iceland during the Cold War to detect Soviet bombers. The Boxcar was also used as a midair retrieval aircraft, snagging imagery packages from the Corona satellites and as gun ships during the Vietnam War. The C-119 flew with a number of air forces including the United States, Italy, India, Belgium and Canada.

If you ever had to bail out of or ditch your aircraft in the ocean, or any body of water, an aircraft you'd love to see coming to your rescue would be the Grumman HU-16B Albatross. This was the aircraft that replaced the wartime PBY Catalina as the main air-sea rescue aircraft beginning in 1947. The museums example, 9307, originally served with the RCAF, one of 10 Albatross' that flew in Canada with the Air Force for 10 years. She once flew, non-stop, from the west coast of Canada (Comox, B.C.) to the east coast of Canada (Greenwood, N.S.) setting the unofficial Canadian endurance record for the aircraft flying 16 hours and 32 minutes.

One of the strangest looking aircraft in the museum's fleet is the massive Convair RB-36H Peacemaker bomber/recon aircraft. The aircraft was designed during World War II as a long range bomber capable of flying from the continental US to bombing targets within Germany and home again, roughly 7500 mile round trip. When it first flew in 1946, it was the largest bomber every built. The Peacemaker flew as an airborne nuclear deterrence in the 1950's and was capable of carrying the massive 21 ton, 24 1/2' long Mk 17 atomic bomb. The bomber version carried a crew of 16 and the recon version a crew of 22.

Rounding out the list of non-jet aircraft are the Cessna O-2A Super Skymaster, used as a forward observation aircraft; the Convair HC-131A Samaritan, used in both military and civilian roles (airline service), first entering service with the military in 1950; the Douglas R5D-4 Skymaster, known in the civilian world as the DC-4; the Beech Aircraft Company YT-34 Mentor; Cessna U-3A "Blue Canoe" Administrator and the Fairchild C-123K Provider, both used in very different roles. Better known as the Cessna 310, the "Blue Canoe" flew as an executive transport, liaison duties and for hauling light cargo from base to base. The Provider had a slightly blacker history flying in Vietnam laying Agent Orange defoliant in an effort to expose the Viet Congs supply trails through the jungles. The museums example also served with Tactical Air Command, Air Defense Command and Air Force Logistics Command and ended its service life with the US Air Force Reserve in 1980.

This week we reviewed the list of non-jet aircraft in the inventory of the Castle Air Museum. Next week we'll delve into the long list of assorted jet aircraft that call the museum home, from a Royal Canadian Air Force CF-100 Canuck to the historic B-52 Stratofortress.

Return to eFLYER