Departure
85%
vs 95% ▼ 10
MY FS FLIGHTS
MY FS FLIGHTS
Castle Airport, near Merced in California's Central Valley, occupies the former Castle Air Force Base and now offers civilian pilots one of the longest runways in general aviation, at nearly 11,800 feet. It is a working field combining flight training, aerial firefighting support, and a well-known air museum, making it a popular destination for visiting pilots.
Castle Airport is a public airport in unincorporated Merced County, California, occupying the site of the former Castle Air Force Base. It is jointly owned by the city of Merced, the city of Atwater and Merced County, and is operated by the county's Community and Economic Development Department. The field is best known among general aviation pilots for its exceptionally long runway, a legacy of its Strategic Air Command past, and for the Castle Air Museum located on the airport grounds. It also serves as the headquarters for the Sierra Academy of Aeronautics flight school and as a reload base for aerial firefighting aircraft.
The airport lies about 8 miles northwest of Merced, adjacent to the town of Atwater, in California's Central Valley. Traffic in the area is worked by NORCAL Approach/Departure on 120.95 MHz.
Castle Airport has a single physical runway, 13/31, measuring 11,791 feet and surfaced in hard standing (asphalt/concrete). Both ends are lit, and runway 31 is equipped with an ILS approach.
Approach and departure control is provided by NORCAL Approach/Departure on 120.95 MHz. The airport's automated weather observation system (AWOS-3) broadcasts on 124.475 MHz, and CTAF/UNICOM is on 123.075 MHz. Runway 31 has an ILS approach, reflecting the airport's former military instrument approach infrastructure.
Castle Airport occupies the site of Castle Air Force Base, which operated from 1941 to 1995 as a Strategic Air Command installation before closing at the end of the Cold War. The former base's very long runway, aprons and taxiways were built to accommodate large military aircraft, a legacy that persists today. The site has since been redeveloped for civilian and commercial aviation use, and the United States Department of Commerce designates the airport and its associated hangars, warehouses and industrial buildings as a Foreign-Trade Zone. Recommendations were made in 2004 to relocate the 129th Rescue Wing of the California Air National Guard, with its HC-130, MC-130 and HH-60 aircraft, from Moffett Federal Airfield to the former Castle Air Force Base.
Castle Airport today serves as the headquarters for the Sierra Academy of Aeronautics, a flight training school specialising in instructing foreign pilots, primarily from the People's Republic of China; training-related activity accounts for the majority of traffic at the field. The United States Forest Service uses the airport's large runway, aprons and taxiways as a reloading base for aerial firefighting aircraft, capable of handling any type in the Forest Service inventory. The airport also hosts the Castle Air Museum, a notable attraction for visiting general aviation pilots with an interest in military aviation history, making the field a popular day-trip destination, particularly for pilots based in the Bay Area.
