Nonstop flight route between Spokane, Washington, United States and Butaritari Atoll, Kiribati:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from SKA to BBG:
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- About this route
- SKA Airport Information
- BBG Airport Information
- Facts about SKA
- Facts about BBG
- Map of Nearest Airports to SKA
- List of Nearest Airports to SKA
- Map of Furthest Airports from SKA
- List of Furthest Airports from SKA
- Map of Nearest Airports to BBG
- List of Nearest Airports to BBG
- Map of Furthest Airports from BBG
- List of Furthest Airports from BBG
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Fairchild Air Force Base (SKA), Spokane, Washington, United States and Butaritari Atoll Airport (BBG), Butaritari Atoll, Kiribati would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,115 miles (or 8,232 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 Fairchild Air Force Base and Butaritari Atoll 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 Fairchild Air Force Base and Butaritari Atoll Airport. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | SKA / KSKA |
Airport Names: |
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Location: | Spokane, Washington, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 47°36'54"N by 117°39'20"W |
View all routes: | Routes from SKA |
More Information: | SKA Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | BBG / NGTU |
Airport Name: | Butaritari Atoll Airport |
Location: | Butaritari Atoll, Kiribati |
GPS Coordinates: | 3°5'11"N by 172°48'41"E |
Elevation: | 5 feet (2 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from BBG |
More Information: | BBG Maps & Info |
Facts about Fairchild Air Force Base (SKA):
- The weapons storage area for the bombers was located south of the runway at Deep Creek Air Force Station, a separate installation constructed from 1950 to 1953 by the Atomic Energy Commission and operated by the Air Materiel Command.
- The closest airport to Fairchild Air Force Base (SKA) is Spokane International Airport (GEG), which is located only 6 miles (9 kilometers) E of SKA.
- 7 December 1993 marked the beginning of a significant change in the mission of Fairchild when the B-52s were transferred to another ACC base while the KC-135s, now assigned to the newly established Air Mobility Command would remain.
- With the outbreak of the Korean War in 1950, both groups deployed to Japan and Guam.
- In addition to being known as "Fairchild Air Force Base", another name for SKA is "Fairchild AFB".
- Over 5,100 active duty Air Force, Air National Guard, and tenant organization military and civilian employees work on Fairchild, making the base the largest employer in Eastern Washington.
- Since 1942, Fairchild Air Force Base/Station has been a key part of the United States' defense strategy—from World War II repair depot, to Strategic Air Command bomber wing during the Cold War, to Air Mobility Command air refueling wing during Operation IRAQI FREEDOM.
- The furthest airport from Fairchild Air Force Base (SKA) is Tôlanaro Airport (FTU), which is located 10,665 miles (17,163 kilometers) away in Tôlanaro, Madagascar.
Facts about Butaritari Atoll Airport (BBG):
- The furthest airport from Butaritari Atoll Airport (BBG) is Cape Palmas Airport (CPA), which is located 11,920 miles (19,183 kilometers) away in Cape Palmas, Liberia.
- Butaritari Atoll Airport (BBG) currently has only 1 runway.
- The airfield was the base of operations for the United States Army Air Forces Seventh Air Force 41st Bombardment Group which flew four squadrons of B-25 Mitchell medium bombers.
- Because of Butaritari Atoll Airport's relatively low elevation of 5 feet, planes can take off or land at Butaritari Atoll 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 closest airport to Butaritari Atoll Airport (BBG) is Marakei Airport (MZK), which is located 78 miles (126 kilometers) SSE of BBG.
- The Americans pulled out at the end of 1944, abandoning the airfield.