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When the closure of Castle Air Force Base was announced in 1994, a group of dedicated enthusiasts in the Atwater-Merced area formed a non-profit organization called the Castle Air Museum Foundation, Inc. Their purpose was to assume custody of the collection of aircraft. It was their dream to build a museum in which faithfully restored historic aircraft could be exhibited for public enjoyment.
Castle Air Museum represents history in a way the whole family can share with our awe-inspiring majestic warbirds. To stand under the wing of the Convair RB-36H Peacemaker or the Boeing B-52, you can imagine the sky around the bombers filled with enemy fighters!
Then there's the B-25 Mitchell, similar to the planes Jimmy Doolittle led off the carrier U.S.S. Hornet during this country's first desperate attempt to bomb Tokyo. The B-29 is here too... the bomber that ended World War II in the Pacific.
On the other end of the spectrum are the B-47 Stratojet and the British Avro Vulcan B.2... this nuclear bomber was the first of it's type to be put on display in the United States... and from our closest allie and northern neighbour Canada, comes the Avro Canada (A.V. Roe Canada, Ltd.) CF-100 Canuck Mk V... the first straight-winged aircraft to ever break the sound barrier!
The aircraft on display at Castle Air Museum are as much a part of America's heritage as Independence Hall and the Battlefield at Gettysburg, yet only a handful of these flying testimonials of our country's Air Force and Navy have survived decades of neglect and the salvage torch.
The museum has been self-supporting since Castle AFB closed in 1995. Although most of our aircraft belong to the U. S. Air Force Museum, it does not provide any funds for maintenance and repair. Monies to operate the museum, maintain the aircraft and grounds and, hopefully, to add to the collection come from admissions, memberships, fund-raising events and donations. Contact us now and find out how to become a volunteer or a museum member. Since the Castle Air Museum is a non-profit organization, your tax-deductible contributions are also greatly appreciated.
The Fairchild C-119 was a major redesign of the Fairchild C-82 Packet, with more powerful engines and a larger cargo compartment. It features the same rear loading, straight through cargo area as the C-82. The C-119 saw extensive service in the Korean War, flying from bases in Japan. They also were used to transport supplies to the Arctic for the construction of the "DEW Line" chain of air defense radar stations.
Later models used 3,500 hp Wright R-3350 engines. Some were modified with an upward-hinged beaver tail cargo door and designated C-119J. Some of these modified aircraft were used for midair retrieval of imagery packages...... [read more]
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5050 Santa Fe Drive • Atwater, California • 95301
Everyone at Castle would like to welcome our newest
bird to our wonderful display of aircraft...
the Douglas A-4L Skyhawk!
To all of our Veterans Organizations (AF, Army, Navy, Marines, CG), please consider Castle Air Museum for your next Unit/Squadron Reunion! You can call us for more information at: (209) 723-2178
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Please note to all of our Patrons, pets are not allowed in any of Castle's display areas (indoor museum and outside displays), this is not only for their safety, but to prevent additional clean-up.
