Nonstop flight route between Tacoma, Washington, United States and Kaitaia, New Zealand:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from GRF to KAT:
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- About this route
- GRF Airport Information
- KAT Airport Information
- Facts about GRF
- Facts about KAT
- Map of Nearest Airports to GRF
- List of Nearest Airports to GRF
- Map of Furthest Airports from GRF
- List of Furthest Airports from GRF
- Map of Nearest Airports to KAT
- List of Nearest Airports to KAT
- Map of Furthest Airports from KAT
- List of Furthest Airports from KAT
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Gray Army Airfield (GRF), Tacoma, Washington, United States and Kaitaia Airport (KAT), Kaitaia, New Zealand would travel a Great Circle distance of 6,925 miles (or 11,145 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 Gray Army Airfield and Kaitaia 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 Gray Army Airfield and Kaitaia Airport. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | GRF / KGRF |
Airport Names: |
|
Location: | Tacoma, Washington, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 47°4'45"N by 122°34'50"W |
Operator/Owner: | U.S. Army ATCA-ASO |
Airport Type: | Military |
Elevation: | 300 feet (91 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from GRF |
More Information: | GRF Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | KAT / NZKT |
Airport Name: | Kaitaia Airport |
Location: | Kaitaia, New Zealand |
GPS Coordinates: | 35°4'12"S by 173°17'7"E |
Operator/Owner: | Far North Holdings Ltd. |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 270 feet (82 meters) |
# of Runways: | 2 |
View all routes: | Routes from KAT |
More Information: | KAT Maps & Info |
Facts about Gray Army Airfield (GRF):
- With World War II, Gray Army Airfield received 1.7 million dollars for new hangars and improved facilities.
- The Army Air Force closed its facilities in 1947.
- Used to support Fort Lewis, Army helicopters assisted with medical evacuations at Mount Rainier National Park on numerous occasions in the 1970s.
- The closest airport to Gray Army Airfield (GRF) is McChord Field/McChord AFB (TCM), which is located only 6 miles (10 kilometers) NE of GRF.
- Gray Army Airfield (GRF) currently has only 1 runway.
- Since 2005 the field has been experiencing another major expansion.
- Company A, 5th Battalion, 159th Aviation Regiment, conducts high-altitude search-and-rescue operations.
- The 91st Observation Squadron and aircraft of the 3rd Balloon Squadron operated out of the Fort Lewis airfield.
- The Fort Lewis airfield housed observation planes.
- The furthest airport from Gray Army Airfield (GRF) is Tôlanaro Airport (FTU), which is located 10,809 miles (17,395 kilometers) away in Tôlanaro, Madagascar.
- World War II cantonment construction involved the demolition of some of the pre-1941 buildings.
- Because of Gray Army Airfield's relatively low elevation of 300 feet, planes can take off or land at Gray Army Airfield 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.
- Reactivated following service in Vietnam, the 9th Infantry Division aviation units occupied GAAF in 1972.
- In addition to being known as "Gray Army Airfield", another name for GRF is "(Joint Base Lewis-McChord)".
Facts about Kaitaia Airport (KAT):
- The furthest airport from Kaitaia Airport (KAT) is Kenitra Air Base (NNA), which is nearly antipodal to Kaitaia Airport (meaning Kaitaia Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Kenitra Air Base), and is located 12,383 miles (19,929 kilometers) away in Kenitra, Morocco.
- Kaitaia Airport (KAT) has 2 runways.
- Kaitaia Airport is the most northern airfield in New Zealand that has fuel available.
- The closest airport to Kaitaia Airport (KAT) is Kerikeri Airport (KKE), which is located 38 miles (61 kilometers) ESE of KAT.
- Because of Kaitaia Airport's relatively low elevation of 270 feet, planes can take off or land at Kaitaia 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.