Nonstop flight route between Atwater, California, United States and Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden, Baden-Württemberg, Germany:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Castle Airport (MER), Atwater, California, United States and Baden Airpark (FKB), Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden, Baden-Württemberg, Germany would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,704 miles (or 9,179 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 Castle Airport and Baden Airpark, 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 Castle Airport and Baden Airpark. 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 Castle Airport (MER):

• 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 Air Museum is 500 yards away, displaying over 50 restored World War II, Korean War, and Cold War era aircraft.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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 furthest airport from Castle Airport (MER) is Tôlanaro Airport (FTU), which is located 11,312 miles (18,204 kilometers) away in Tôlanaro, Madagascar.
• 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.
• 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.

Facts about Baden Airpark (FKB):

• In addition to being known as "Baden Airpark", another name for FKB is "Flughafen Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden".
• The closest commercial airport is Strasbourg International Airport in France, located approximately 40 km to the southwest.
• Baden Airpark (FKB) currently has only 1 runway.
• Because of Baden Airpark's relatively low elevation of 408 feet, planes can take off or land at Baden Airpark 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 first commercial flight from Hapag-Lloyd Flug took place in April 2001.
• The furthest airport from Baden Airpark (FKB) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is nearly antipodal to Baden Airpark (meaning Baden Airpark is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Chatham Islands), and is located 12,031 miles (19,362 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
• The closest airport to Baden Airpark (FKB) is Strasbourg International Airport (SXB), which is located 26 miles (42 kilometers) SW of FKB.