Nonstop flight route between Arusha, Tanzania and Tacoma, Washington, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Arusha Airport (ARK), Arusha, Tanzania and Gray Army Airfield (GRF), Tacoma, Washington, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 9,171 miles (or 14,759 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 Arusha 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 Arusha 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:

Arrival Airport Information:

Facts about Arusha Airport (ARK):

• Because of Arusha Airport's high elevation of 4,550 feet, planes must typically fly at a faster airspeed in order to takeoff or land at ARK. Combined with a high temperature, this could make ARK a "Hot & High" airport, where the air density is lower than it would otherwise be at sea level.
• Arusha Airport (ARK) currently has only 1 runway.
• The furthest airport from Arusha Airport (ARK) is Atuona Airport (AUQ), which is located 11,481 miles (18,477 kilometers) away in Atuona, Marquesas Islands, French Polynesia.
• The closest airport to Arusha Airport (ARK) is Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO), which is located 32 miles (51 kilometers) E of ARK.
• Arusha Airport handled 122,621 passengers last year.
• In addition to being known as "Arusha Airport", another name for ARK is "Uwanja wa Ndege wa Arusha  (Swahili)".
• A few days later it was flown empty to Kilimanjaro International Airport.
• The airport served 87,252 passengers in 2004.

Facts about Gray Army Airfield (GRF):

• 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.
• In October 1921 Curtiss JN-4 “Jenny” biplanes flew from the Naval Station at Sand Point to a grass airfield at what was then called "Camp Lewis", located at a site just west of today’s Gray AAF.
• 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.
• Reactivated following service in Vietnam, the 9th Infantry Division aviation units occupied GAAF in 1972.
• 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.
• With World War II, Gray Army Airfield received 1.7 million dollars for new hangars and improved facilities.
• Gray Army Airfield (GRF) currently has only 1 runway.
• In addition to being known as "Gray Army Airfield", another name for GRF is "(Joint Base Lewis-McChord)".
• 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, also known as Gray AAF, is a military airfield located within Joint Base Lewis-McChord near Tacoma, in Pierce County, Washington, United States.
• The 9th Cavalry Brigade in the 1980s developed air-assault strategies with their AH-1 Cobra helicopters based upon experiences learned in Vietnam.