Nonstop flight route between Atwater, California, United States and Cortes Island, British Columbia, Canada:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from MER to YCF:
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- About this route
- MER Airport Information
- YCF Airport Information
- Facts about MER
- Facts about YCF
- 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 YCF
- List of Nearest Airports to YCF
- Map of Furthest Airports from YCF
- List of Furthest Airports from YCF
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Castle Airport (MER), Atwater, California, United States and Cortes Island Aerodrome (YCF), Cortes Island, British Columbia, Canada would travel a Great Circle distance of 901 miles (or 1,449 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 Cortes Island Aerodrome, 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: | YCF / |
Airport Names: |
|
Location: | Cortes Island, British Columbia, Canada |
GPS Coordinates: | 50°1'24"N by 124°59'3"W |
Area Served: | Cortes Island |
Operator/Owner: | M. Ching |
Airport Type: | Private |
Elevation: | 164 feet (50 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from YCF |
More Information: | YCF Maps & Info |
Facts about Castle Airport (MER):
- Castle Airport (MER) currently has only 1 runway.
- Castle Airport covers an area of 1,360 acres which contains one runway with an 11,802 x 150 ft asphalt and concrete pavement.
- 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.
- Castle Air Museum is 500 yards away, displaying over 50 restored World War II, Korean War, and Cold War era aircraft.
- 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.
- 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.
Facts about Cortes Island Aerodrome (YCF):
- In addition to being known as "Cortes Island Aerodrome", another name for YCF is "CCI9".
- Because of Cortes Island Aerodrome's relatively low elevation of 164 feet, planes can take off or land at Cortes Island Aerodrome 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 Cortes Island Aerodrome (YCF) is Campbell River Water Aerodrome (YHH), which is located only 12 miles (19 kilometers) W of YCF.
- The furthest airport from Cortes Island Aerodrome (YCF) is Tôlanaro Airport (FTU), which is located 10,657 miles (17,151 kilometers) away in Tôlanaro, Madagascar.
- Cortes Island Aerodrome (YCF) currently has only 1 runway.