Castle Air Museum

I think this particular B-17 is fairly rare among the surviving Forts, being a Boeing built example rather than Douglas or Lockheed-Vega.

Hope that they get it and the B-24 under cover in the not too distant future.

Here you go, Roobarb –

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Any close-ups of the B17 Virgin’s delight? I remember a bit in “Control Column” many years ago about Jim Babcock and gang delivering it from Aero Union after finding new owners for “Class of 44” another Aero Union B17 that became “Sentimental Journey” with the Confederate Air Force (more PC titles are available, but that’s what it was in 1978…).

I certainly wouldn’t enjoy being on anything half as rickety looking as those steps! Don’t envy you guys at all!

There is a Vulcan at the museum too –

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Ahhh yes – swaying around at the top of a Giraffe – I remember it well 😀

I also remember that wonderful contradiction in terms ‘The Safety Raiser’ – bloody things !!!!******
I remember myself and others almost falling off them and trapping fingers etc LOL – the good old days : )
The other thing for Riggers to be careful with was to not break any teeth with the starting handle on the petrol driven Hydraulic rigs 😀

Thread drift over LOL

Slightly off topic, I know, but seeing the “giraffe” type ladder, in the forground, brings back memories of removing bang-seats from a Vulcan, that was on jacks, in a hangar with no available crane (mobile or static) to help.
Carrying the seats down one of these, at full extension, was quite an experience, and would have given the Health and Safety people a heart attack.

Ahhhhh, the good old days.

Thanks for the info, J Boyle. I must admit I wasn’t aware of that either.

There was also a Harpoon in a fenced-off area looking like it was awaiting its turn for restoration –

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Many don’t realize B-50s are rarer than B-18/23s. Likewise B-45s.
Castle, and March have very good collections, well work a look if you ever find yourself in the LA area.

Not every day you see a B-50 and B-29 together –

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Yes plenty of gems, Rob! Including the magnificent B-36 – what a beast!
Definitely worth visiting if you’re near it again, Firebird 🙂

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Spooky………..I drove past it last weekend 😀

Blimey some real gems in there!

Rob

My girlfriend lives about a 5 minute walk away. I’ve been telling her to take our little ape along to see all the “hardware” there. I feel that it’s important to introduce quality aircraft to children at an early age. I’ve sent an e-mail to the museum asking if I can send them my CV/Resume. They said I’m very welcome to. I should get my a** in gear!

Wonderful stuff – they have some of the more unusal types there – it’s on my long list of places I want to visit.

Roger Smith.

I’m hoping to get there next year. The B-29 is supposed to be haunted. There was a link to an article about it on the museums website but it doesn’t seem to work.

Great stuff, thanks for sharing your photos!

Richard.

Feel sorry for the Vulcan she looks so sad…

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Just to finish off, an aircraft that I think deserves a series of photographs all for itself, the RB-36 Peacemaker.
I remember building a model of one as a kid, which at 1:72 scale dominated the rest of my collection!

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