ATWATER -- Flying through a thick blanket of German gunfire over Belgium during World War II, Brig. Gen. Frederick W. Castle made a decision.
He had been leading a 2,000 aircraft-bomber formation to German airfields Dec. 24, 1944, but lost one of his engines and dropped back from the rest of the pack. That's when he fell into the sights of the German fighter pilots.
He could have released his cargo of bombs to gain speed and altitude to get away, but knowing that there were innocent people and friendly troops below, he decided to hold onto his load.
All the crew managed to escape from the bullet-riddled plane, except for the pilot and Castle, who went down at the controls of the B-17 Flying Fortress after it exploded.
Castle was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously and was honored with an Air Force Base named after him. The base has since closed, but besides Castle Airport, there is still Castle Air Museum that displays historical planes from the hero's era and beyond, including a B-17 similar to the one Castle went down in.
The museum will hold its Fall Open Cockpit Day from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sept. 5 at the museum on 5050 Santa Fe Drive. Plane interiors and artifacts of historical battles will be on display.
The museum is geared toward kids, but is a "fun-filled, educational atmosphere" for everyone, said Joe Pruzzo, CEO of Castle Air Museum Foundation Inc.
"Typically, when people come out here, most of the year, except for twice, they only see the airplanes from the outside," he said. "There's a cooler story to tell looking inside of them."
Visitors will be able to view all 53 planes, but will also have the opportunity to view the cockpits of about 25 aircraft, including an SR-71 Blackbird, B-52, B-36, F-15, F-106 Interceptor and various tankers.
Other attractions include 10-minute helicopter rides for $40, model plane building, bomber burgers and radio-controlled model airplane displays.
Most of the planes at Castle Air Museum have crew chiefs that maintain and care for the machines of wars past, said Dean Robledo, a volunteer crew chief for the museum's F-106 Interceptor.
Interceptors were commonly used throughout the '60s and '70s to trail enemy bombers on surveillance runs, he said. The F-106 Interceptors carried four missiles, but one was powerful enough to destroy an entire bomber formation.
Robledo will display the F-106 Interceptor to visitors on Open Cockpit Day, along with other crew chiefs who can explain various components in the airplanes.
The museum, which sees about 40,000 visitors every year from all over the world, doesn't receive any government funding and relies mostly on admissions, fundraising events and sponsors to operate, Pruzzo said.
A crucial part of the museum's ability to function and maintain the planes are the volunteers, he added.
"It really is, to a large extent, a labor of love," Pruzzo said. "If it wasn't for organizations like this, they would all basically be soda cans, and then there's no story to tell."
Some people come from hundreds of miles away to Castle Air Museum during open cockpit days, he said.
For an interesting lesson in history, drive out, or fly, to Castle Air Museum Sept. 5 for Open Cockpit Day.
Reporter Mike North can be reached at (209) 385-2453 or mnorth@mercedsun-star.com.
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