Nonstop flight route between Atwater, California, United States and Marysville, California, United States:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from MER to BAB:
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- About this route
- MER Airport Information
- BAB Airport Information
- Facts about MER
- Facts about BAB
- 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 BAB
- List of Nearest Airports to BAB
- Map of Furthest Airports from BAB
- List of Furthest Airports from BAB
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Castle Airport (MER), Atwater, California, United States and Beale Air Force Base (BAB), Marysville, California, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 130 miles (or 209 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 Beale Air Force Base, 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: | BAB / KBAB |
Airport Names: |
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Location: | Marysville, California, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 39°8'9"N by 121°26'11"W |
View all routes: | Routes from BAB |
More Information: | BAB Maps & Info |
Facts about Castle Airport (MER):
- The airport is located at the former Castle Air Force Base which closed in 1995.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Facts about Beale Air Force Base (BAB):
- The furthest airport from Beale Air Force Base (BAB) is Tôlanaro Airport (FTU), which is located 11,251 miles (18,107 kilometers) away in Tôlanaro, Madagascar.
- In 1948, Camp Beale became Beale AFB, its mission being to train bombardier navigators in radar techniques.
- The Air Force activated the 851st Strategic Missile Squadron on 1 April 1961.
- In addition to being known as "Beale Air Force Base", another name for BAB is "Beale AFB".
- In July 1965 the wing was redesignated the 456th Bombardment Wing, Heavy with the inactivation of the Titan I Missile squadron but continued to fly the B-52 and KC-135.
- Beale Air Force Base covers nearly 23,000 acres of rolling hills in northern California.
- The closest airport to Beale Air Force Base (BAB) is Yuba County Airport (MYV), which is located only 8 miles (12 kilometers) WSW of BAB.
- On 8 February 1959, Strategic Air Command established Beale as an operational USAF base.