Castle Air Museum's 30th anniversary: Keeping history alive
ATWATER -- When Joe Pruzzo, chief executive officer of Castle Air Museum, was in elementary school, he wrote a paper about what his dream job would be as an adult.
He spoke with his parents about that dream job.
"It'd be really neat to have this big museum with all these old planes," he told his parents.
Now, Pruzzo is enjoying the big museum with lots of old planes that sits on a patch of land at 5050 Santa Fe Drive in Atwater.
Pruzzo's mom is constantly telling him that he's living his dream. "She always reminded me; she said 'You know what, you're kind of living that term paper,' " Pruzzo said.
Even when he gets home at night, Pruzzo still thinks about the museum and has to try to quiet his brain.
He, along with others in the Castle community, will celebrate the museum's 30th anniversary Sunday.
Although Pruzzo is constantly working to promote the museum through various media, some locals still aren't aware of the historic location.
"There are people, shockingly, still here within a mile that drive by here and have never been here," he said. "I've had people, when we put out the electronic sign about three years ago, come by and say 'I didn't realize this was a museum. I thought the Air Force left these planes here.' "
The planes weren't left there, and it's often a painstaking process to get them to the museum.
Cost of history
Retrieving planes, transporting, restoring and maintaining them is an expensive endeavor, said John Sundgren, chairman of the Castle Air Museum Foundation board of directors.
Recent bids to paint the museum's B-36 bomber ranged from $20,000 to $40,000, said Sundgren, who got involved with the museum about five years ago when he volunteered to be a tour guide.
The planes require a special automotive finish that protects them during the hot Merced summers. Although the museum often chooses to use more expensive paint, it's worthwhile to make the "artifacts" last longer in an effort to preserve history, Pruzzo said.
"You have to spend a little bit more to get the longevity of it and preserve the artifact better," he said. "You look at them as airplanes, but you also refer to them as artifacts."
The sights and smells of each plane can carry a visitor back in time, Pruzzo said. Some of the interiors even have crew graffiti scribbled during downtime.
"You don't want to cover that up," he said. "That's part of the historical aspect of it."
Much of the funding for the museum comes from memberships and donations. Castle Air Museum has about 2,100 members.
A lot of the museum's success is because of its volunteers and crew chiefs, who each help maintain a particular place at the museum.
"We're very fortunate to have the volunteer base that we have," Pruzzo said. "Not only the crew chiefs but (also) the restoration expertise is phenomenal."
Bill Hiller, a volunteer at the museum for about 20 years, works three days a week.
Some volunteers have put more than 20,000 hours of work into what he describes as preserving history.
"It preserves things that a lot of people would never get to see if we don't save it for them," Hiller said. "It's definitely a special place."
There's a restoration group made up of about 20 steady volunteers.
"It's a team effort, no one person does it," Hiller said. "It's a good, strong team."
Working on military aircraft requires a lot of expertise, he noted. Many volunteers developed the skills they use on the planes while on active duty.
Some of the planes the restoration group has restored are novelties for many visitors, Hiller said.
Rare planes draw
Several of Castle Air Museum's planes are rare or unique in some fashion.
The museum's B-36 is one of four around and the only reconnaissance model in existence.
Other planes, like the B-24, were scrapped for materials and nearly pushed into extinction.
On any given day, Pruzzo can walk out onto the museum grounds and meet people who've come from other countries to see the collection.
"We're renowned all over the world because of the eclectic collection, and because this is maybe the first time they've ever been able to see a B-36 or a Vulcan or an SR-71 in person," Pruzzo said.
Many veterans bring their families to see the collection of war birds, he noted.
"It touched me one day because there was an elderly gentleman with his son and grandkids and all of a sudden, you could see the story being passed," Pruzzo said.
As technology quickly progresses, it's important to remember where we came from, he added.
Developments evident
Bombers at the museum such as the B-36 and B-52, were sizable birds meant for carrying big bombs -- and lots of them. Newer fighters are equipped with technology that allows for precision strikes.
"It goes from being a B-17, B-24 mass bombing campaign to now your fighters that carry more weapons than those could carry," said Sundgren, who was in the Air Force until 1990.
"It's a bit eclectic, I think, because we don't have just a particular theme to the airplanes."
The museum gives a clear perspective on how aviation has developed, he said.
Museum's future
It was early 1979 when the site of Castle Air Museum was determined, according to a 1999 letter by Cliff James, former chairman, titled "Twenty years and still going."
Work done to buildings and facilities while establishing the museum left the foundation $384,000 in debt, according to James. But it was paid off in 10 years, he added.
When the Air Force left Castle in September 1995, it was a blow to the museum. But the foundation continued to find innovative ways to keep pushing the museum forward.
While those involved with the museum have celebrated several milestones over 30 years, Pruzzo is still looking toward the future of the museum.
"It's an uphill battle with funding, with getting people involved," he said. "It's a labor of love."
Reporter Mike North can be reached at (209) 385-2453 or mnorth@mercedsun-star.com.
This story was originally published March 19, 2011 at 1:51 AM with the headline "Castle Air Museum's 30th anniversary: Keeping history alive."