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

Arrival Airport:

Distance from MER to XMF:
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- About this route
- MER Airport Information
- XMF Airport Information
- Facts about MER
- Facts about XMF
- 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 XMF
- List of Nearest Airports to XMF
- Map of Furthest Airports from XMF
- List of Furthest Airports from XMF
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Castle Airport (MER), Atwater, California, United States and Montbéliard - Courcelles Aerodrome (XMF), Montbéliard, France would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,736 miles (or 9,230 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 Montbéliard - Courcelles Aerodrome, 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 Montbéliard - Courcelles Aerodrome. 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: | XMF / LFSM |
Airport Names: |
|
Location: | Montbéliard, France |
GPS Coordinates: | 47°29'12"N by 6°47'29"E |
Area Served: | Montbéliard, Doubs, France |
Operator/Owner: | Syndicat mixte de l’aérodrome de Montbéliard |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 1041 feet (317 meters) |
# of Runways: | 2 |
View all routes: | Routes from XMF |
More Information: | XMF Maps & Info |
Facts about Castle Airport (MER):
- 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 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.
- 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.
- The airport is located at the former Castle Air Force Base which closed in 1995.
- 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.
Facts about Montbéliard - Courcelles Aerodrome (XMF):
- Montbéliard - Courcelles Aerodrome (XMF) has 2 runways.
- In addition to being known as "Montbéliard - Courcelles Aerodrome", another name for XMF is "Aérodrome de Montbéliard - Courcelles".
- The closest airport to Montbéliard - Courcelles Aerodrome (XMF) is EuroAirport Basel–Mulhouse–Freiburg (BSL), which is located 35 miles (57 kilometers) ENE of XMF.
- The furthest airport from Montbéliard - Courcelles Aerodrome (XMF) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is nearly antipodal to Montbéliard - Courcelles Aerodrome (meaning Montbéliard - Courcelles Aerodrome is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Chatham Islands), and is located 12,138 miles (19,535 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.