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

Arrival Airport:

Distance from MER to GLS:
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- About this route
- MER Airport Information
- GLS Airport Information
- Facts about MER
- Facts about GLS
- 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 GLS
- List of Nearest Airports to GLS
- Map of Furthest Airports from GLS
- List of Furthest Airports from GLS
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Castle Airport (MER), Atwater, California, United States and Scholes International Airport at Galveston (GLS), Galveston, Texas, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 1,580 miles (or 2,543 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 Scholes International Airport at Galveston, 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: | GLS / KGLS |
Airport Names: |
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Location: | Galveston, Texas, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 29°15'55"N by 94°51'38"W |
Area Served: | Galveston, Texas |
Operator/Owner: | City of Galveston |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 6 feet (2 meters) |
# of Runways: | 2 |
View all routes: | Routes from GLS |
More Information: | GLS Maps & Info |
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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Facts about Scholes International Airport at Galveston (GLS):
- The closest airport to Scholes International Airport at Galveston (GLS) is Ellington Field Joint Reserve BaseEllington Air Force BaseEllington Field (EFD), which is located 30 miles (48 kilometers) NW of GLS.
- Scholes International Airport at Galveston (GLS) has 2 runways.
- The furthest airport from Scholes International Airport at Galveston (GLS) is Cocos (Keeling) Island Airport (CCK), which is located 11,038 miles (17,764 kilometers) away in Cocos Islands, Australia.
- Light general aviation aircraft, and the occasional transient business jets can be seen at GLS.
- In January 1943, Galveston AAFld.
- The airport's Master Plan considers the potential return of commercial airline service as well as the increasing trend of corporate aircraft and oil industry helicopter activity.
- In addition to being known as "Scholes International Airport at Galveston", another name for GLS is "(former Galveston Army Air Field)".
- Because of Scholes International Airport at Galveston's relatively low elevation of 6 feet, planes can take off or land at Scholes International Airport at Galveston 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.