Castle Air Museum

Castle Air Museum is a military aviation museum located in Atwater, California, United States adjacent to Castle Airport, a former United States Air Force Strategic Air Command base which was closed in 1995, after the end of the Cold War. It is one of the largest aerospace museums displaying vintage aircraft in the western United States.

History and information
The museum opened with 12 aircraft on 20 June 1981 as a branch of the United States Air Force Museum system. Only four months later, an additional four aircraft were placed on display. Then in 1983, an audit criticized leadership for poor accountability of resources, displaying aircraft outside the museum's mission, and lack of security. When Castle Air Force Base was closed in April 1995 and became Castle Airport, the museum similarly became private. The loss of federal funding eventually caused financial problems for the museum.

It currently displays over 60 restored World War II, Korean War, Cold War, and modern era aircraft. The outdoor museum covers 11 acre, and among the exhibit highlights are a Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird (one of only 19 surviving), a Boeing B-52D Stratofortress, and the massive, ten-engined Convair RB-36H Peacemaker, one of only four surviving and the largest mass-produced piston aircraft in history. An indoor museum features artifacts, photographs, uniforms, war memorabilia, aircraft engines, and a restored B-52 Stratofortress flight deck. A crew of volunteers restores and maintains the aircraft on display. The museum also hosts a periodic Open House in which visitors can view the interiors of certain planes.

In May 2008, the museum reached its 50th displayed aircraft milestone with the addition of a Douglas A-4L Skyhawk. The aircraft was shipped to the museum in August 2006, and restored at a cost of $12,000.

In October 2013, the Museum received a retired VC-9C aircraft that had previously served during several administrations as an alternate Air Force One and Air Force Two aircraft when use of the primary VC-137 or VC-25 was impractical. Vice presidents such as Al Gore and Dick Cheney, and First Ladies such as Nancy Reagan, Barbara Bush, and Hillary Clinton, as well as presidents Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton, were among the individuals who used the plane.

The museum received an F-16 in February 2016.

In 2021, the museum received 5 aircraft from Naval Air Museum Barbers Point, which had closed two years prior.

A McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II was moved to the museum in July 2023. The museum opened the Copper Wings Cafe in July 2023. A UH-12 was donated to the museum in December 2023. The following May it received a TBM Avenger that had been ditched off Daytona Beach in 2022.

Alleged paranormal occurrences
The B-29A Superfortress exhibit is reported to be haunted by a spirit named "Arthur." Museum management has reported that visitors, including paranormal investigators, have heard knocking and footsteps from inside the plane. In addition, lights in the aircraft have been known to turn on and off, and the propellers are known to turn even though they are locked in place. An apparition has allegedly been photographed on several occasions, and paranormal researchers claim to have detected anomalous readings on their equipment. The paranormal occurrences have been featured on an episode of UPN's Real Ghosts (1995).

Collection


• Avro-Canada CF-100 Mk.V Canuck
 * Aircraft on Display

• Avro Vulcan B.2

• Beech C-45G Expeditor

• Beech YT-34 Mentor

• Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress

• Boeing B-29A Superfortress

• Boeing B-47E Stratojet

• Boeing B-52D Stratofortress

• Boeing F/A-18C Hornet

• Boeing KC-97 Stratofreighter

• Boeing KC-135A Stratotanker

• Boeing WB-50 Superfortress

• Cessna C-150

• Cessna O-2A Super Skymaster

• Cessna T-37B Tweet

• Cessna U-3A Blue Canoe

• Cessna UC-78 Bamboo Bomber

• Consolidated B-24M Liberator

• Convair B-58A Hustler

• Convair F-102A Delta Dagger

• Convair F-106A Delta Dart

• Convair HC-131 Samaritan

• Convair RB-36H Peacemaker

• Curtiss C-46D Commando

• de Havilland Canada L-20 Beaver

• Douglas A-26B Invader

• Douglas A-4L Skyhawk

• Douglas B-18 Bolo

• Douglas B-23 Dragon

• Douglas C-47 Skytrain

• Douglas R5D-4 Skymaster

• Douglas RA-3B Skywarrior

• Douglas SBD-4 Dauntless

• Fairchild C-119C Flying Boxcar

• Fairchild C-123K Provider

• General Dynamics F-16A Fighting Falcon

• General Dynamics FB-111A Aardvark

• Grumman A-6E Intruder

• Grumman F-14D Tomcat

• Grumman HU-16B Albatross

• Grumman S-2 Tracker

• Lockheed C-56 Lodestar

• Lockheed EC-121 Warning Star

• Lockheed F-80B Shooting Star

• Lockheed F-104B Starfighter

• Lockheed F-94A Starfire

• Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk

• Lockheed MC-130P Combat Shadow

• Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird

• Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star

• Martin EB-57A Canberra

• McDonnell Douglas F-15A Eagle

• McDonnell Douglas VC-9C

• McDonnell F-101B Voodoo

• McDonnell F-4E Phantom II

• Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21

• North American AT-6 Texan

• North American B-25J Mitchell

• North American B-45A Tornado

• North American F-86H Sabre

• North American F-100 Super Sabre

• North American RA-5C Vigilante

• North American T-39 Saberliner

• Northrop F-89J Scorpion

• Northrop T-38 Talon

• Northrop Grumman EA-6B Prowler

• Republic F-84C Thunderjet k

• Republic F-84F Thunderstreak

• Republic F-105B Thunderchief

• Saab TF 35 Draken

• Schweizer TG-3A

• Stinson L-5 Sentinel

• Vought RF-8G Crusader

• Vultee BT-13 Valiant

• Bell AH-1 SuperCobra
 * Helicopters

• Bell H-13 Sioux

• Boeing CH-47D Chinook

• Kaman HH-43B Huskie

• Sikorsky SH-60B Seahawk

• AGM-28 Hound Dog - Cruise Missile
 * Complementary Exhibits

• GAM-63 Rascal  - Nuclear Air-to-Surface Missile

• MB-1C - B-58 Nuclear Weapons Pod

• Kawasaki KAQ-1  - UAV/Target Drone

• MK. 17 - Thermonuclear Bomb

• NASA "Hyperglider"   - Experimental Vehicle

• Norden Mk. XV  - Declassified Bombsight

• Ryan BQM-34  - UAV/Target Drone