Aircraft of the Castle Air Museum / A Must See

Visiting the Castle Air Museum is an amazing and unique experience for young and old. Located at 5050 Santa Fe Dr, Atwater, California, the aircraft collection on exhibit is large and outstanding. Atwater, CA is located about thirty-one miles southeast of Modesto on CA Hwy 99 and about 120 miles southeast of San Francisco as well as about 10 miles north of Merced. 

The collection numbers nearly seventy restored aircraft exhibited on the museum's twenty acres. The museum site was obtained after the closure of Castle Air Force Base.In addition to the outdoor displays there is also an indoor museum which houses an amazing collection of wartime memorabilia including aircraft engines, military uniforms, historic photos, and personal military artifacts from the twentieth century. 

Castle Air Museum is operated by a non-profit foundation and relies on volunteers. The museum schedules events throughout the year. To see what events are currently scheduled and for museum hours, see the museum website at...http://www.castleairmuseum.org/calendar/

Nose of the B-52D

A Terrific Historic Aircraft Collection

We have traveled to several excellent air museums in the western U.S. and we can attest that this is one of the finest air museums you'll have an opportunity to experience. The collection includes historic World War II, Korean War, and Vietnam Conflict aircraft.

Just to name a few of the aircraft on display at the Castle Air Museum, you'll be able to view the B-50D Superfortress...the B-52D Stratofortress...the B-25J Mitchell...the B-29A Superfortress...the B-17 Flying Fortress and the F-15 Eagle.

Highlighted below are just a few of the aircraft on exhibit at the Castle Air Museum...

The eight engine B-52

The B-52D Stratofortress

The B-52 was a long range sub-sonic jet powered bomber built by Boeing. This aircraft is the longest serving front line military aircraft in aviation history. The plane used four double engine pods and four twin wheel landing trucks. The B-52 could also be refueled during flight therefore making it a truly world wide range aircraft. This is a very large aircraft and requires a very long runway to operate since the engines were produced without reverse thrusters.  B-52D's would typically fly in formation much too high to be seen or heard. Each aircraft was capable of dropping over one hundred 500 lb bombs. Today, the B-52 is also used as a cruise missile carrier.

It has been said that the B-52 was the most feared aircraft by the enemy during the Vietnam War. The aircraft shown here at the Castle Air Museum is a B-52D which was the backbone of the Arc Light Fleet bombing runs during the Vietnam War. These models ere specially modified for the conventional weapons used during that conflict.

The B-50D Superfortress 

The B-50D Superfortress was a Boeing bomber built post World War Two and was essentially a redesign of the historic B-29. The B-50 had stronger aluminum and more powerful engines than the B-29. The aircraft flew faster and was able to carry a heavier payload.

Out of all the B-50's manufactured, the B-50D was the largest variant. It is estimated that 222 B-50D's were built out of a total production number of 370. The first B-50's were ordered by the War Dept prior to the end of the war and were delivered in 1947. Production ended in 1953.

The more powerful Pratt and Whitney engines gave the B-50 a top speed of just under 400 MPH. The B-50 Superfortress was able to be refueled during flight and therefore was capable of reaching the Soviet Union.

The B-50 was among the last piston-powered bombers built during an era that would be dominated by jet aircraft. Both the B-50 and B-29 were replaced by the B-47 jet bomber.

The B-17G Flying Fortress

The B-17 was developed during the 1930's as a heavy bomber. The first prototype flew in July 1935. The four engine Flying Fortress is often referred to as the best known bomber of World War Two. The B-17 served in every zone of the war but is well remembered for it's bombing of industrial targets over Germany.

The B-17, during the course of the war, was determined to have insufficient defenses. As a result, in 1943 the aircraft was modified to include a turret on the plane's nose equipped with two machine guns. Machine guns were also added to the plane's sides. The B-17 had a cruising speed of 170 MPH and a range of about 1,850 miles. Maximum speed for this plane was 300 MPH. 

The last B-17G left the factory on July 29, 1945. A total of 12,726 B-17's were produced.

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Visiting the Castle Air Museum

As mentioned above, the Castle Air Museum located in Atwater, California is an outstanding air museum with one of the best collections of twentieth century military aircraft in the U.S. All types and sizes of military aircraft are on display. The variety of aircraft is unbelievable.

Anyone interested in historic military aircraft will want to visit this one of a kind air museum. If you enjoy history and airplanes, Castle Air Museum is where to go. It's a hidden gem in central California and well worth your time.

(Article and photos copyright 2015 Western Trips)

Things To See in Modesto, California

Modesto, California came about as a result of the old Central Pacific Railroad. This was the railroad that had built eastward from California to connect in Utah as part of the first transcontinental railroad. This was the historic railroad first constructed by Theodore Judah and owned by the Big Four. It was Judah's engineering skill which helped the railroad scale the formidable Sierra Nevada mountains during the late 1860's.

Regarding the founding of Modesto, the area became the end of the Central Pacific Railroad line on November 8, 1870 and was incorporated as a municipal city on August 6, 1884. Modesto became known as the “Rose City” and the “Garden City” because of its many rose bushes and well-manicured lawns.

The McHenry Mansion

During the 1880's homes were built east of Modesto's downtown area. Today, only one of those beautiful homes stands in its original state. That home is the McHenry Mansion in 1882-83 by Robert McHenry. Robert McHenry purchased five lots in 1880 which became the site of the McHenry Mansion.  The Mansion was designed by Jeremiah Robinson, a Stockton contractor who constructed the Stanislaus County court house in the early 1870's.

McHenry arrived in California at about the time of the Gold Rush and was involved in business. He was a trader, raised cattle and crops and purchased various parcels of land. In 1878, Robert McHenry became a director of the Modesto Bank and the following year its cashier. 

The McHenry Mansion is located at the corner of 15th and I Streets. Mansion Hours: Sunday thru Friday from 12:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

All tours of the McHenry Mansion begin at the Visitor Center.  The old house that houses the Visitor Center has undergone extensive changes beginning in 1910 when the front porch was replaced with a much larger one that spanned across the front of the building. It remained as a single-family residence until 1947-48 when it was converted into a five-unit apartment house.

Visitors are asked to sign the guest book. They are then able to view a short DVD presentation giving them a brief history of the house and of the McHenry family.  After a very short walk to the house, the escorted tour begins.

The McHenry Museum 

The McHenry Museum located next door to the Mansion is a great place to stop for anyone wanting to learn more about the history of Modesto. The museum goes back to the year 1912 when the building was built and became the McHenry Library. The library continued all the way up until 1971 when a new library was constructed. Rather than leaving such an historic building vacant, money was raised to turn the structure into a Museum and Arts Center. Various arts groups and historical groups occupied the building until 2003 when the Art League moved to new quarters and the museum was able to utilize the entirety of the building for an historical museum.

Museum exhibits include a complete dentist’s office, general store, and recreated blacksmith’s shop. There is also a collection of mining tools from the Gold Rush era. Also see a variety of cattle brands used in the county during the cattle raising era. The museum also offers temporary exhibits that showcase Modesto and Stanislaus County history. The museum property is owned by the City of Modesto.

The Southern Pacific Railroad Depot 

Another historic site in Modesto, California is the old Southern Pacific Railroad Depot. Southern Pacific had leased the Central Pacific in 1885 and would finally take it over in 1959.

This train depot was built in 1915 in the popular Mission Revival style of that era. The new train station replaced a wooden structure. The new building with it's stucco facade and long platforms gave it a more permanent look.

The Second Railroad in Stanislaus County

The Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad was the second railroad to serve Stanislaus County following the Central Pacific. The ATSF did not lay their tracks through the new city of Modesto, but five miles to the east through Empire City. The ATSF railway provided passenger service through Riverbank with their Golden Gate line that ran through the Central Valley between the Bay Area and the Los Angeles area. This service was terminated in 1968. Passenger trains returned to the ATSF line with the formation of Amtrak in 1971.

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George Lucas Plaza 

American film director, screenwriter, producer, and entrepreneur George Lucas was born in Modesto, California in 1944. Lucas was the writer and director of the 1973 film "American Graffiti." 

One must stop while traveling to Modesto is the American Graffiti statue at Lucas Plaza.  Lucas Plaza is located at Five Points (the intersections of McHenry Avenue, "J" Street, 17th Street, Downey and Needham). The statue represents a teenage boy and girl sitting on a 1957 Chevy.

Modesto, California is located about 90 miles east of San Francisco and about 75 miles south of Sacramento along CA Hwy 99.

(Article and photos copyright 2015 Western Trips)