Nonstop flight route between Alegrete, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil and Atwater, California, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Gaudêncio Machado Ramos Airport (ALQ), Alegrete, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil and Castle Airport (MER), Atwater, California, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 6,246 miles (or 10,052 kilometers).

A Great Circle is the shortest distance between 2 points on a sphere. Because most world maps are flat (but the Earth is round), the route of the shortest distance between 2 points on the Earth will often appear curved when viewed on a flat map, especially for long distances. If you were to simply draw a straight line on a flat map and measure a very long distance, it would likely be much further than if you were to lay a string between those two points on a globe. Because of the large distance between Gaudêncio Machado Ramos Airport and Castle Airport, the route shown on this map most likely appears curved because of this reason.

Try it at home! Get a globe and tightly lay a string between Gaudêncio Machado Ramos Airport and Castle Airport. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!

Departure Airport Information:

Arrival Airport Information:

Facts about Gaudêncio Machado Ramos Airport (ALQ):

• In addition to being known as "Gaudêncio Machado Ramos Airport", another name for ALQ is "Aeroporto Gaudêncio Machado Ramos".
• Gaudêncio Machado Ramos Airport, informally known as Alegrete Novo Airport, is the airport serving Alegrete, Brazil.
• The airport was built as a replacement to an older facility located closer to downtown which was then closed.
• Gaudêncio Machado Ramos Airport (ALQ) currently has only 1 runway.
• The furthest airport from Gaudêncio Machado Ramos Airport (ALQ) is Zhoushan Putuoshan Airport (HSN), which is nearly antipodal to Gaudêncio Machado Ramos Airport (meaning Gaudêncio Machado Ramos Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Zhoushan Putuoshan Airport), and is located 12,332 miles (19,846 kilometers) away in Zhoushan, Zhejiang, China.
• The closest airport to Gaudêncio Machado Ramos Airport (ALQ) is Artigas International Airport (ATI), which is located 55 miles (88 kilometers) SW of ALQ.
• Because of Gaudêncio Machado Ramos Airport's relatively low elevation of 459 feet, planes can take off or land at Gaudêncio Machado Ramos Airport at a lower air speed than at airports located at a higher elevation. This is because the air density is higher closer to sea level than it would otherwise be at higher elevations.

Facts about Castle Airport (MER):

• Castle Airport (MER) currently has only 1 runway.
• The furthest airport from Castle Airport (MER) is Tôlanaro Airport (FTU), which is located 11,312 miles (18,204 kilometers) away in Tôlanaro, Madagascar.
• Because of Castle Airport's relatively low elevation of 191 feet, planes can take off or land at Castle Airport at a lower air speed than at airports located at a higher elevation. This is because the air density is higher closer to sea level than it would otherwise be at higher elevations.
• The EPA currently has this base listed on their database due to the bulk wastes such as solvents, oils, fuels, and sludges which were disposed in pits at landfills around the base until 1977.
• The closest airport to Castle Airport (MER) is Merced Regional Airport (MCE), which is located only 7 miles (12 kilometers) SSE of MER.
• Castle Airport covers an area of 1,360 acres which contains one runway with an 11,802 x 150 ft asphalt and concrete pavement.
• It serves one school, Sierra Academy of Aeronautics, which specializes in training foreign pilots, from the People's Republic of China.
• It was estimated that the cost to relocate the 129 RQW to Castle, to include associated military construction costs, could be recouped in seven years.