Nonstop flight route between Palmar Sur, Costa Rica and Atwater, California, United States:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from PMZ to MER:
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- About this route
- PMZ Airport Information
- MER Airport Information
- Facts about PMZ
- Facts about MER
- Map of Nearest Airports to PMZ
- List of Nearest Airports to PMZ
- Map of Furthest Airports from PMZ
- List of Furthest Airports from PMZ
- Map of Nearest Airports to MER
- List of Nearest Airports to MER
- Map of Furthest Airports from MER
- List of Furthest Airports from MER
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Palmar Sur Airport (PMZ), Palmar Sur, Costa Rica and Castle Airport (MER), Atwater, California, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 3,033 miles (or 4,882 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 Palmar Sur Airport and Castle 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 Palmar Sur Airport and Castle Airport. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | PMZ / MRPM |
Airport Name: | Palmar Sur Airport |
Location: | Palmar Sur, Costa Rica |
GPS Coordinates: | 8°57'3"N by 83°28'6"W |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 49 feet (15 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from PMZ |
More Information: | PMZ Maps & Info |
Arrival 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 |
Facts about Palmar Sur Airport (PMZ):
- Because of Palmar Sur Airport's relatively low elevation of 49 feet, planes can take off or land at Palmar Sur 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 Palmar Sur Airport (PMZ) is Cocos (Keeling) Island Airport (CCK), which is nearly antipodal to Palmar Sur Airport (meaning Palmar Sur Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Cocos (Keeling) Island Airport), and is located 12,212 miles (19,654 kilometers) away in Cocos Islands, Australia.
- The closest airport to Palmar Sur Airport (PMZ) is Buenos Aires Airporrt (BAI), which is located only 17 miles (28 kilometers) NNE of PMZ.
- Palmar Sur Airport (PMZ) currently has only 1 runway.
Facts about Castle Airport (MER):
- 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.
- The airport is located at the former Castle Air Force Base which closed in 1995.
- 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 Airport (MER) currently has only 1 runway.
- The closest airport to Castle Airport (MER) is Merced Regional Airport (MCE), which is located only 7 miles (12 kilometers) SSE of MER.
- The furthest airport from Castle Airport (MER) is Tôlanaro Airport (FTU), which is located 11,312 miles (18,204 kilometers) away in Tôlanaro, Madagascar.
- 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.