Nonstop flight route between Atwater, California, United States and Alamogordo, New Mexico, United States:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from MER to ALM:
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- About this route
- MER Airport Information
- ALM Airport Information
- Facts about MER
- Facts about ALM
- Map of Nearest Airports to MER
- List of Nearest Airports to MER
- Map of Furthest Airports from MER
- List of Furthest Airports from MER
- Map of Nearest Airports to ALM
- List of Nearest Airports to ALM
- Map of Furthest Airports from ALM
- List of Furthest Airports from ALM
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Castle Airport (MER), Atwater, California, United States and Alamogordo–White Sands Regional Airport (ALM), Alamogordo, New Mexico, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 880 miles (or 1,417 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 relatively short distance between Castle Airport and Alamogordo–White Sands Regional Airport, the route shown on this map most likely still appears to be a straight line.
Departure 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 |
Arrival Airport Information:
| IATA / ICAO Codes: | ALM / KALM |
| Airport Name: | Alamogordo–White Sands Regional Airport |
| Location: | Alamogordo, New Mexico, United States |
| GPS Coordinates: | 32°50'24"N by 105°59'26"W |
| Area Served: | Alamogordo, New Mexico |
| Operator/Owner: | City of Alamogordo |
| Airport Type: | Public |
| Elevation: | 4200 feet (1,280 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 2 |
| View all routes: | Routes from ALM |
| More Information: | ALM Maps & Info |
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.
- 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.
- Castle Airport covers an area of 1,360 acres which contains one runway with an 11,802 x 150 ft asphalt and concrete pavement.
- The airport is located at the former Castle Air Force Base which closed in 1995.
- The closest airport to Castle Airport (MER) is Merced Regional Airport (MCE), which is located only 7 miles (12 kilometers) SSE of MER.
- The furthest airport from Castle Airport (MER) is Tôlanaro Airport (FTU), which is located 11,312 miles (18,204 kilometers) away in Tôlanaro, Madagascar.
- Castle Airport (MER) currently has only 1 runway.
- EPA investigations have been completed at multiple areas of contamination including landfills, discharge areas, chemical disposal areas, fire training areas, fuel spill areas, and polychlorinated biphenyl spill areas.
Facts about Alamogordo–White Sands Regional Airport (ALM):
- Alamogordo–White Sands Regional Airport (ALM) has 2 runways.
- Because of Alamogordo–White Sands Regional Airport's high elevation of 4,200 feet, planes must typically fly at a faster airspeed in order to takeoff or land at ALM. Combined with a high temperature, this could make ALM a "Hot & High" airport, where the air density is lower than it would otherwise be at sea level.
- The furthest airport from Alamogordo–White Sands Regional Airport (ALM) is Sir Gaëtan Duval Airport (RRG), which is located 11,319 miles (18,217 kilometers) away in Rodrigues Island, Mauritius.
- Alamogordo–White Sands Regional Airport covers an area of 1,465 acres at an elevation of 4,200 feet above mean sea level.
- The closest airport to Alamogordo–White Sands Regional Airport (ALM) is Holloman Air Force Base Alamogordo Army Airfield (HMN), which is located only 7 miles (11 kilometers) W of ALM.
- As per Federal Aviation Administration records, the airport had 414 passenger boardings in calendar year 2008, 505 enplanements in 2009, and 369 in 2010.
