KMER · Castle Airport

MERCED, CALIFORNIA · MEDIUM AIRPORT

191

Elevation ft

Runway

11,802

Longest ft · 13/31

37.38N

120.57W

Castle Airport serves Merced, California at 191 ft elevation with its longest runway, 13/31, at 11,802 by 150 ft. The figures below are computed from FAA NASR runway data (via OurAirports) and the same rules of thumb JetDesk uses on the airport page in the app; the POH and current NOTAMs are the authority.

Open KMER in JetDesk: live METAR, TAF, winds and runway verdict →

01Runways

Runway	Length × width	Surface	Lighting
13/31	11,802 × 150 ft	asphalt (PEM)	lit

02Density altitude and turboprop runway margins

Standard temperature at 191 ft is about 15°C. Every 1,000 ft of density altitude adds roughly 8 percent to a turboprop's takeoff distance and 5 percent to its landing distance. The table uses Piper Meridian book numbers (2,438 ft takeoff and 2,110 ft landing over a 50 ft obstacle at sea level, ISA, max weight) as a reference airplane; heavier turboprops and light jets scale the same way from their own POH figures.

Conditions	Density altitude	Takeoff est.	Landing est.	Landing × 1.5
Standard day (ISA, 15°C)	191 ft	2,475 ft	2,130 ft	3,195 ft
Warm day (ISA +10)	1,391 ft	2,709 ft	2,257 ft	3,385 ft
Hot day (ISA +20)	2,591 ft	2,943 ft	2,383 ft	3,575 ft
35°C afternoon	2,637 ft	2,952 ft	2,388 ft	3,582 ft

Planning aid only. Even on a 35°C afternoon the longest runway (13/31, 11,802 ft) covers a Meridian-class turboprop's landing distance with a 50 percent margin (3,582 ft needed). The percentages are a generic rule of thumb applied to one reference airplane, not certified performance data for any specific aircraft, and the runway size categories describe the runway, not your airplane's suitability. Verify with the approved flight manual before every flight.

03Nearby fields with 5,000 ft or more

Useful as alternates, as fuel stops when the price at KMER is high, or as the longer runway on a hot afternoon.

Airport	Distance	Longest runway
KMCE Merced Regional Macready Field	6 nm SE	5,914 ft
KMOD Modesto City Co-Harry Sham Field	24 nm NW	5,904 ft
KMAE Madera Municipal Airport	32 nm SE	5,545 ft
KSCK Stockton Metropolitan Airport	44 nm NW	10,245 ft
KCVH Hollister Municipal Airport	50 nm SW	6,350 ft
KFAT Fresno Yosemite International Airport	55 nm SE	9,539 ft

04Jet A prices and FBOs at KMER

No public API publishes FBO fuel prices, so JetDesk does not guess. Pilots and crews log the price they actually paid at KMER, the app flags a price stale after two weeks, and the route finder ranks every field within a corridor of your route by net savings after the cost of the extra cycle. Log a price at KMER or read what a fuel stop actually saves.

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