Nonstop flight route between Dipolog City, Zamboanga del Norte, Philippines and Atwater, California, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Dipolog Airport (DPL), Dipolog City, Zamboanga del Norte, Philippines and Castle Airport (MER), Atwater, California, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 7,238 miles (or 11,649 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 Dipolog 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 Dipolog 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 Dipolog Airport (DPL):

• Dipolog Airport (DPL) currently has only 1 runway.
• The airport is expected to handle more than 150,000 passengers per year by 2009 or an average of 415 daily passengers, which is equivalent to 3 narrow-body aircraft flights or two flights using one wide-body and one narrow-body aircraft.
• The closest airport to Dipolog Airport (DPL) is Labo Airport (OZC), which is located 45 miles (73 kilometers) SE of DPL.
• The airport's strategic location during World War II and the liberation of Zamboanga and Mindanao by American and Philippine Commonwealth Forces in 1945 prompted the national government to develop the field as an alternate airport to Zamboanga International Airport principally for national security reasons arising from natural and man made emergencies.
• Because of Dipolog Airport's relatively low elevation of 12 feet, planes can take off or land at Dipolog 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.
• Dipolog Airport handled 165,163 passengers last year.
• There is also a mini-garden at the runway side of the terminal that contains a grotto.
• In addition to being known as "Dipolog Airport", another name for DPL is "Paliparan ng Dipolog".
• The Dipolog Airport upgrading project was part of The 1997 Third Airport Development Project, a six-airport package which was supposed to be funded by the Asian Development Bank, the European Investment Bank, and the Philippine government with its counterpart fund.
• The furthest airport from Dipolog Airport (DPL) is Piloto Osvaldo Marques Dias Airport (AFL), which is nearly antipodal to Dipolog Airport (meaning Dipolog Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Piloto Osvaldo Marques Dias Airport), and is located 12,341 miles (19,862 kilometers) away in Alta Floresta, Brazil.

Facts about Castle Airport (MER):

• 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 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.
• With its central location in the San Joaquin Valley, on the route of the proposed California High-Speed Rail system, and with a large, underdeveloped site, Castle Airport has been submitted as a possible location for the central maintenance facility for the system.
• 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.
• Castle Airport covers an area of 1,360 acres which contains one runway with an 11,802 x 150 ft asphalt and concrete pavement.