Nonstop flight route between Changzhi, Shanxi, China and Atwater, California, United States:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from CIH to MER:
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- About this route
- CIH Airport Information
- MER Airport Information
- Facts about CIH
- Facts about MER
- Map of Nearest Airports to CIH
- List of Nearest Airports to CIH
- Map of Furthest Airports from CIH
- List of Furthest Airports from CIH
- Map of Nearest Airports to MER
- List of Nearest Airports to MER
- Map of Furthest Airports from MER
- List of Furthest Airports from MER
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Changzhi Wangcun Airport (CIH), Changzhi, Shanxi, China and Castle Airport (MER), Atwater, California, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 6,299 miles (or 10,138 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 Changzhi Wangcun 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 Changzhi Wangcun Airport and Castle Airport. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | CIH / ZBCZ |
Airport Names: |
|
Location: | Changzhi, Shanxi, China |
GPS Coordinates: | 36°14'51"N by 113°7'33"E |
Area Served: | Changzhi, Shanxi, China |
Operator/Owner: | Shanxi Civil Airport Group |
Airport Type: | Public |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from CIH |
More Information: | CIH Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | MER / KMER |
Airport Name: | Castle Airport |
Location: | Atwater, California, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 37°22'50"N by 120°34'5"W |
Operator/Owner: | Merced County Department of Commerce, Aviation, and Economic Development |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 191 feet (58 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from MER |
More Information: | MER Maps & Info |
Facts about Changzhi Wangcun Airport (CIH):
- Changzhi Wangcun Airport (CIH) currently has only 1 runway.
- The closest airport to Changzhi Wangcun Airport (CIH) is Handan Airport (HDG), which is located 75 miles (121 kilometers) ENE of CIH.
- The furthest airport from Changzhi Wangcun Airport (CIH) is Colonia Catriel Airport (CCT), which is nearly antipodal to Changzhi Wangcun Airport (meaning Changzhi Wangcun Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Colonia Catriel Airport), and is located 12,310 miles (19,811 kilometers) away in Colonia Catriel, Río Negro, Argentina.
- In addition to being known as "Changzhi Wangcun Airport", other names for CIH include "长治王村机场" and "Changzhi Wangcun Jīchǎng".
Facts about Castle Airport (MER):
- Castle Air Museum is 500 yards away, displaying over 50 restored World War II, Korean War, and Cold War era aircraft.
- 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.
- 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 (MER) currently has only 1 runway.
- 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 airport is located at the former Castle Air Force Base which closed in 1995.
- The furthest airport from Castle Airport (MER) is Tôlanaro Airport (FTU), which is located 11,312 miles (18,204 kilometers) away in Tôlanaro, Madagascar.
- In 2004, recommendations were made to relocate the 129th Rescue Wing of the California Air National Guard and its associated HC-130, MC-130 and HH-60 aircraft from Moffett Federal Airfield to the former Castle Air Force Base, now Castle Airport.