Nonstop flight route between Valera, Venezuela and Tacoma, Washington, United States:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from VLV to GRF:
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- About this route
- VLV Airport Information
- GRF Airport Information
- Facts about VLV
- Facts about GRF
- Map of Nearest Airports to VLV
- List of Nearest Airports to VLV
- Map of Furthest Airports from VLV
- List of Furthest Airports from VLV
- Map of Nearest Airports to GRF
- List of Nearest Airports to GRF
- Map of Furthest Airports from GRF
- List of Furthest Airports from GRF
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Dr. Antonio Nicolás Briceño Airport (VLV), Valera, Venezuela and Gray Army Airfield (GRF), Tacoma, Washington, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 3,995 miles (or 6,429 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 Dr. Antonio Nicolás Briceño Airport and Gray Army Airfield, 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 Dr. Antonio Nicolás Briceño Airport and Gray Army Airfield. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | VLV / SVVL |
Airport Name: | Dr. Antonio Nicolás Briceño Airport |
Location: | Valera, Venezuela |
GPS Coordinates: | 9°20'26"N by 70°35'3"W |
Airport Type: | Civil |
Elevation: | 1893 feet (577 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from VLV |
More Information: | VLV Maps & Info |
Arrival 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 |
Facts about Dr. Antonio Nicolás Briceño Airport (VLV):
- The closest airport to Dr. Antonio Nicolás Briceño Airport (VLV) is Barinas Airport (BNS), which is located 56 miles (90 kilometers) SSE of VLV.
- Dr. Antonio Nicolás Briceño Airport (VLV) currently has only 1 runway.
- The new SAET Director, Anibal Villegas, has made improvements to the airport, including new fuel storage tanks.
- The furthest airport from Dr. Antonio Nicolás Briceño Airport (VLV) is Tunggul Wulung Airport (CXP), which is nearly antipodal to Dr. Antonio Nicolás Briceño Airport (meaning Dr. Antonio Nicolás Briceño Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Tunggul Wulung Airport), and is located 12,316 miles (19,821 kilometers) away in Cilacap, Java Island, Indonesia.
- On December 29, 2012, during a press conference, executives of Avior Airlines, announced it will reopen flights to this destination, being operated by the subsidiary Avior Regional with two daily flights from Caracas from 1 April 2013.
Facts about Gray Army Airfield (GRF):
- The 1938 construction included two paved runways, a boiler plant, headquarters building, metal balloon hangar, six-plane hangar, corrugated-iron hangar, storehouse, flight-surgeon office, and film-storage building.
- 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.
- After the Korean War, the 2d Aviation Company, of the 2d Infantry Division, which had been the first helicopter unit in Korea, returned to Fort Lewis with observation/spotter aircraft L-19 Bird Dogs, and L-20 Beavers, as well as H-23 Raven helicopters.
- Company A, 5th Battalion, 159th Aviation Regiment, conducts high-altitude search-and-rescue operations.
- 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.
- Reactivated following service in Vietnam, the 9th Infantry Division aviation units occupied GAAF in 1972.
- Gray Army Airfield (GRF) currently has only 1 runway.
- 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.
- Used to support Fort Lewis, Army helicopters assisted with medical evacuations at Mount Rainier National Park on numerous occasions in the 1970s.
- August 1984 saw GAAF become one of few test centers for the UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters.
- In addition to being known as "Gray Army Airfield", another name for GRF is "(Joint Base Lewis-McChord)".
- The Army Air Force closed its facilities in 1947.