Opened in 1941 as Army Air Corps Basic Flying School, this installation trained pilots and aircrews. In 1943 it was renamed Merced Army Airfield, and in 1948 it was renamed Castle Air Force Base after Brigadier General Frederick W. Castle. A B-17 bomber pilot during WWII, Castle led 30 missions over Germany. On Christmas Eve 1944, while leading 2,000 bombers on his last mission, his aircraft developed engine trouble, fell out of formation, and came under repeated attack by German fighters. With both engines on the right wing in flames, he ordered his crew to bail out and remained at the controls. The airplane exploded in midair, five of the nine crewmen survived, and Castle died at the controls; he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his bravery. The airfield became home to the 93rd Bombardment Wing in 1947 under the newly formed United States Air Force, Strategic Air Command, and housed B-17 Flying Fortresses, B-29 Superfortresses, and C-54 Skymasters. B-50 bombers arrived in 1949, the B-47 Stratojet in 1954, the first B-52 Stratofortress on June 29, 1955, and the KC-135 Stratotanker in 1957, remaining there until the base closed. In 1955, the 456th Fighter Interceptor Squadron arrived with F-86 Sabres and later flew F-102 Delta Daggers and F-106 Delta Darts. In 1973, the 84th Fighter Interceptor Squadron, also with F-106s, assumed this role, and in 1983, the 318th Fighter Interceptor Squadron, with F-15 Eagles, took over the mission. In 1990, it was included in the Defense Base Closure and Realignment Act, and over the next five years all planes and units were relocated before the base closed on September 30, 1995. Castle Air Museum opened to the public in 1981 to preserve military aviation heritage, beginning with five planes and growing to eighty restored vintage military aircraft ranging from pre-WWII to present-day fighters, bombers, and tankers.