Heavy storms put Castle Air Museum’s historic aircraft at risk

The winter storms that have beaten down on Merced County underscore the need for indoor and covered storage for the historic aircraft at Castle Air Museum, officials said.

“Between the blistering heat, and now the return of real rain, our fears for the viability of these aircraft are increasing,” Joe Pruzzo, executive director of the museum, said in a news release. “If we don’t get them out of the weather and indoors on display soon, we could start to encounter serious maintenance and structural problems putting the collection at risk.”

Though the recent storms haven’t caused any major damage to the aircraft, they have caused water to pool inside them, and museum officials worry that cloth coverings will rot. If an aircraft is damaged, repairs or replacing parts might not be possible, Pruzzo said.

“Many times, it’s hard to find the parts or have the items manufactured,” he said.

The museum is home to a collection of about 70 historic aircraft, such as the Consolidated B-24 Liberator that was part of the 93rd Bomb Group in WWII. A staff of six and about 25 volunteers constantly work on routine maintenance of aircraft currently on display while simultaneously restoring more recent additions to the collection.

The recent heavy Valley storms have brought renewed urgency to the museum’s effort to create permanent housing for the pieces.

Leaders at Castle Air Museum are in the planning phase for the construction of a large hangar to store the B-24, the Presidential Aircraft (formerly Air Force One) and several other aircraft. The hangar would fit up to 20 aircraft and would measure 80,000 square feet and 60 feet tall at the highest point.

“Some of these airplanes, like the Presidential Aircraft, did live in shelters because they’re sensitive to the elements,” Pruzzo said.

The idea of a hangar has been in the air for about six years, Pruzzo said, but it recently became more realistic when a builder from Madera offered to build the structure for about half the price of previous estimates. Construction is estimated to cost about $4.9 million, with the building made “move-in ready.”

Museum leaders hope the building will include a meeting space for educational and community events.

Fundraising for the project is to begin this year.

For more information, please visit CastleAirMuseum.org or call 209-723-2178 during regular business hours.

This story was originally published January 17, 2017 at 5:59 PM with the headline "Heavy storms put Castle Air Museum’s historic aircraft at risk."