Nonstop flight route between Atwater, California, United States and Fallon, Nevada, United States:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from MER to NFL:
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- About this route
- MER Airport Information
- NFL Airport Information
- Facts about MER
- Facts about NFL
- 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 NFL
- List of Nearest Airports to NFL
- Map of Furthest Airports from NFL
- List of Furthest Airports from NFL
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Castle Airport (MER), Atwater, California, United States and Naval Air Station Fallon (NFL), Fallon, Nevada, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 174 miles (or 279 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 Naval Air Station Fallon, 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: | NFL / KNFL |
| Airport Names: |
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| Location: | Fallon, Nevada, United States |
| GPS Coordinates: | 39°25'29"N by 118°42'10"W |
| Operator/Owner: | United States Navy |
| Airport Type: | Military: Naval Air Station |
| Elevation: | 3934 feet (1,199 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 3 |
| View all routes: | Routes from NFL |
| More Information: | NFL Maps & Info |
Facts about Castle Airport (MER):
- The airport is located at the former Castle Air Force Base which closed in 1995.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Facts about Naval Air Station Fallon (NFL):
- Between 1956 and 1975, the United States Air Force Air Defense Command operated a General Surveillance Radar station at NAS Fallon.
- The furthest airport from Naval Air Station Fallon (NFL) is Tôlanaro Airport (FTU), which is located 11,140 miles (17,928 kilometers) away in Tôlanaro, Madagascar.
- The closest airport to Naval Air Station Fallon (NFL) is Fallon Municipal Airport (FLX), which is located only 6 miles (9 kilometers) NNW of NFL.
- In addition to being known as "Naval Air Station Fallon", another name for NFL is "Van Voorhis Field".
- Naval Air Station Fallon (NFL) has 3 runways.
- Over the years, the equipment at the station was upgraded or modified to improve the efficiency and accuracy of the information gathered by the radars.
- Naval Air Station Fallon or NAS Fallon is the United States Navy's premier air-to-air and air-to-ground training facility.
