While in service with the USAF, this Albatross was loaned to Pan Am in 1969. It operated a weekly service as PA163 from Mombasa, Kenya to a satellite tracking station at Mahe, Seychelles, on a joint contract with the Philco Radio Corp. and the US government. It flew in bare metal as "0-17163", with a Pan Am logo on the nose. It was withdrawn from use on 3 Nov 1971, and stored at Long Beach, CA. It became N70725 in Sep 1977, and in 1987 it was restored to flying condition and flown to the Castle Air Museum, where it was restored in the markings seen here. The Albatross was first noted on display as such in Nov 1988.

This Phantom served with the Thunderbirds until December 1973, when it went to Edwards AFB for use an an NF-4E chase plane. Its last flight as such was on 21 March 1991, and it went to AMARC a few days later. It was delivered to the Castle Air Museum in January 1995 and placed on display as Thunderbird "6" in April of that year. It actually flew as such in 1972/1973.

In Mar 1957 this gigantic 10-engined B-36 was delivered to Chanute AFB for use as an instructional ground airframe. This lasted until 1970, when it was transferred to the United States Air Force Museum. They loaned the aircraft back to the Chanute AFB collection and it was placed on display there in Sep 1971, falsely painted "492065". In 1990 it was dismantled for transport to the Castle Air Museum, where it arrived on 27 Oct 1990, reportedly in 167 sections. It was stored there in dismantled condition until reassembly in 1993/1994. The work was completed in Oct 1994. The tail number 113730 is on the fin, but it is hard to read due to the flaking paint.

Arrived at the museum in 1981.

Ex N880L, acquired by the United States Air Force Museum in 1981 and loaned to the Castle Air Museum. It was placed on display in August of that year.

Painted in fake markings. This Invader is ex USAAF 41-39472. Struck off charge in August 1957, it became N86482 in 1963 and was illegally sold to the El Salvador Air Force as 601 in August 1969. It had been withdrawn from service by 1972 and was sold as N26VC in April 1974 and flown from El Salvador to San Diego, CA that same month. The Invader was eventually delivered to the Castle Air Museum on 26 October 1980, where it was first displayed as "24-6093". This was later changed to the markings seen here.

"Flight of the Phoenix" arrived at the museum on 15 December 1980.

In the early 1980s the Castle Air Museum added many aircraft to its inventory. "Hog Hauler" was one of them, and it arrived in August 1981.

This B-29 is a composite airframe. It is the fuselage of 44-61535 (the original Raz'n Hell), fitted with the nose section of 44-70064 and the wings of 44-84084. All three aircraft were stored at NAWS China Lake, CA for use as ground targets for weapons testing, until recovered and restored in 1980. Following the restoration the aircraft was initially painted as 44-70064, but by 1988 this had been changed to 44-61535. However, the Technical Data Block on the nose still shows "44-70064". The "Raz'n Hell" nose art is only carried on the other side.

Ex USAAF 42-89678. On 12 Nov 1959 this Valiant was registered to Larry Trapp (Winamac, IN) as N63952, and cancelled on 2 May 1974. It was transferred to the United States Air Force Museum and loaned to the Castle Air Museum In the early 1980s.
In 1959 this aircraft was incorrectly registered as c/n 6978, which is also the fake serial carried on the tail in this photo. This number is strikingly similar to the last four digits of its former USAAF serial, and it may in fact be the result of a clerical error, made in 1959.

Part of the museum's inventory since 16 June 1980.

Virgin's Delight was delivered to the museum on 26 November 1979. It is ex N3702G, a former airtanker.

Despite its markings here, this Harvard never saw service with the US military. It is ex RCAF 2951, which was taken on charge on 11 March 1941 and struck off charge on 11 December 1946. After many years of storage it spent some years in a museum in Ontario in the mid 1970s. It very briefly became C-GDJC in Dec 1975 before sale to Hawkins & Powers Aviation in March 1976 as N99839. The Harvard finally arrived at the museum here in the early 1980s. Its identity is also quoted as ex RCAF 2684 c/n 66-2417, but in 1976 N99839 was definitely officially registered as c/n "66-2684".

Rare early F-4J picture of VMFA-334. This unit started transition to the F-4J at El Toro in August 1967. Four months after this photo was taken, the unit transferred to Da Nang, South Vietnam, for combat operations. They returned to El Toro in 1971 and were decommissioned on 30 December 1971. This F-4J was placed into storage at MASDC on 29 March 1985.

This F-4J was later delivered to the RAF as ZE352.

Rare pic of this VF-191 bird. VF-191 only operated Phantoms from 1976 until it was disbanded in March 1978. It only did one single cruise, on board USS Coral Sea, from February until October 1977. After that cruise, this F-4J went to VF-121 and crashed off California on 8 February 1978.

This photo was taken after VF-51 returned from its last cruise with the F-4N on board USS Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1977, and before transitioning to the F-14A in 1978. Although the aircraft seems to carry a MiG-kill, it in fact has not been credited with one as far as I could check. This F-4N was converted to QF-4N (and did not survive its fate as a drone).

This F-4N was later converted to QF-4N.

The photo of this F-4B was taken shortly before VF-41 converted to the F-4J in 1973 (which again was replaced by the F-4N one year later). This particular aircraft was later converted to F-4N and then to QF-4N.