Nonstop flight route between Atwater, California, United States and Port Pirie, South Australia, Australia:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from MER to PPI:
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- About this route
- MER Airport Information
- PPI Airport Information
- Facts about MER
- Facts about PPI
- 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 PPI
- List of Nearest Airports to PPI
- Map of Furthest Airports from PPI
- List of Furthest Airports from PPI
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Castle Airport (MER), Atwater, California, United States and Port Pirie Airport (PPI), Port Pirie, South Australia, Australia would travel a Great Circle distance of 8,131 miles (or 13,086 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 Port Pirie Airport, 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 Port Pirie Airport. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
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: | PPI / YPIR |
Airport Name: | Port Pirie Airport |
Location: | Port Pirie, South Australia, Australia |
GPS Coordinates: | 33°14'20"S by 137°59'42"E |
Operator/Owner: | Port Pirie Regional Council |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 39 feet (12 meters) |
# of Runways: | 3 |
View all routes: | Routes from PPI |
More Information: | PPI 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.
- It serves one school, Sierra Academy of Aeronautics, which specializes in training foreign pilots, from the People's Republic of China.
- 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 closest airport to Castle Airport (MER) is Merced Regional Airport (MCE), which is located only 7 miles (12 kilometers) SSE of MER.
- 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.
- 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.
Facts about Port Pirie Airport (PPI):
- The closest airport to Port Pirie Airport (PPI) is Cowell Airport (CCW), which is located 70 miles (113 kilometers) WSW of PPI.
- Port Pirie Airport (PPI) has 3 runways.
- The furthest airport from Port Pirie Airport (PPI) is Flores Airport (FLW), which is located 11,696 miles (18,822 kilometers) away in Flores Island, Azores, Portugal.
- Because of Port Pirie Airport's relatively low elevation of 39 feet, planes can take off or land at Port Pirie 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.