Former Castle Air Force Base

USA / California / Atwater /
 airport, former air force base, driving test center
Now a Google Fake City for Self-Driving Cars
The full name is Castle Airport Aviation and Development Center
This facility is formerly called Castle Air Force Base.

Castle Airport is a public airport northeast of Atwater, serving Merced County, California, USA. The airport covers 1,580 acres, has one runway and is mostly used for general aviation. It is located on the site of the former Castle Air Force Base, which closed in 1995. The airport is just outside the city limits of Atwater; it is three miles northeast of downtown Atwater.

Originally named Merced Army Airfield, the base was renamed in honor of Brigadier General Frederick W. Castle (1908-1944). When on Christmas Eve 1944 near Liege, Belgium, seven Messerschmitts set General Castle's B-17 afire, he remained at the controls while his crew bailed out. He died with the pilot when the aircraft exploded. General Castle received the Medal of Honor posthumously.

Read more at: www.militarymuseum.org/CastleAFB.html
SAC Days-www.strategic-air-command.com/bases/Castle_AFB.htm
Airport Info-airnav.com/airport/KMER

www.globalair.com/airport/airport.aspx?aptcode=MER
www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2017/08/25/google_affi...
www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2017/08/inside-w...
Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castle_Airport
Nearby cities:
Coordinates:   37°22'30"N   120°34'5"W

Comments

  • Museum on base hosts one of the few SR-71 blackbirds on display to the public. Active duty military get free admission to the museum year round.
This article was last modified 4 years ago