Nonstop flight route between Santa Ana, California, United States and Atwater, California, United States:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from SNA to MER:
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- About this route
- SNA Airport Information
- MER Airport Information
- Facts about SNA
- Facts about MER
- Map of Nearest Airports to SNA
- List of Nearest Airports to SNA
- Map of Furthest Airports from SNA
- List of Furthest Airports from SNA
- 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 John Wayne Airport (SNA), Santa Ana, California, United States and Castle Airport (MER), Atwater, California, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 298 miles (or 479 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 John Wayne Airport and Castle Airport, the route shown on this map most likely still appears to be a straight line.
Departure Airport Information:
| IATA / ICAO Codes: | SNA / KSNA |
| Airport Name: | John Wayne Airport |
| Location: | Santa Ana, California, United States |
| GPS Coordinates: | 33°40'32"N by 117°52'5"W |
| Area Served: | Orange County, California |
| Operator/Owner: | Orange County |
| Airport Type: | Public |
| Elevation: | 56 feet (17 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 2 |
| View all routes: | Routes from SNA |
| More Information: | SNA 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 John Wayne Airport (SNA):
- As of 2009, the largest airlines at John Wayne Airport were Southwest Airlines, United Airlines, American Airlines, Air Tran, and Alaska Airlines.
- John Wayne Airport (SNA) has 2 runways.
- The original single runway was 4,800 feet long, oriented on a magnetic heading of 210 degrees and 30 degrees.
- The first airstrip on the grounds was constructed in 1923, when Eddie Martin started giving biplane rides on land owned by The Irvine Company, initially without their permission.
- In 2011, additional terminal space was added and existing terminals were refreshed as part of a $543 million expansion project.
- The closest airport to John Wayne Airport (SNA) is MCAS El Toro (NZJ), which is located only 8 miles (13 kilometers) E of SNA.
- Alaska Airlines provided international service to Vancouver in 2002 however shortly after launch a stop in Seattle was required as John Wayne Airport was not authorized for pre-clearance or international flights by U.S.
- Because of John Wayne Airport's relatively low elevation of 56 feet, planes can take off or land at John Wayne 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 John Wayne Airport (SNA) is Pierrefonds Airport (ZSE), which is located 11,490 miles (18,491 kilometers) away in Saint-Pierre, Réunion.
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.
- 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 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.
- 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.
