Nonstop flight route between Wake Island, United States Minor Outlying Islands and Santa Ana, California, United States:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from AWK to SNA:
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- About this route
- AWK Airport Information
- SNA Airport Information
- Facts about AWK
- Facts about SNA
- Map of Nearest Airports to AWK
- List of Nearest Airports to AWK
- Map of Furthest Airports from AWK
- List of Furthest Airports from AWK
- Map of Nearest Airports to SNA
- List of Nearest Airports to SNA
- Map of Furthest Airports from SNA
- List of Furthest Airports from SNA
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Wake Island Airfield (AWK), Wake Island, United States Minor Outlying Islands and John Wayne Airport (SNA), Santa Ana, California, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,676 miles (or 7,525 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 Wake Island Airfield and John Wayne 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 Wake Island Airfield and John Wayne Airport. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure Airport Information:
| IATA / ICAO Codes: | AWK / PWAK |
| Airport Name: | Wake Island Airfield |
| Location: | Wake Island, United States Minor Outlying Islands |
| GPS Coordinates: | 19°16'56"N by 166°38'12"E |
| Operator/Owner: | U.S. Air Force |
| Airport Type: | Military |
| Elevation: | 23 feet (7 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 1 |
| View all routes: | Routes from AWK |
| More Information: | AWK Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
| IATA / ICAO Codes: | SNA / KSNA |
| Airport Name: | John Wayne Airport |
| Location: | Santa Ana, California, United States |
| GPS Coordinates: | 33°40'32"N by 117°52'5"W |
| Area Served: | Orange County, California |
| Operator/Owner: | Orange County |
| Airport Type: | Public |
| Elevation: | 56 feet (17 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 2 |
| View all routes: | Routes from SNA |
| More Information: | SNA Maps & Info |
Facts about Wake Island Airfield (AWK):
- The closest airport to Wake Island Airfield (AWK) is Quoin Hill Airfield (UIQ), which is located 169 miles (272 kilometers) SE of AWK.
- Wake Island Airfield is a military airport located on Wake Island, which is known for the Battle of Wake Island.
- Between 5 and 29 May 1935, Pan American's air base construction vessel, North Haven, landed supplies and equipment on Wilkes Island for eventual rehandling to Peale Island which, because of its more suitable soil and geology, had been selected as site for the PAA seaplane base.
- Wake Island Airfield (AWK) currently has only 1 runway.
- Because of Wake Island Airfield's relatively low elevation of 23 feet, planes can take off or land at Wake Island 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.
- British Overseas Airways Corporation also used Wake Island as a refueling stop.
- From 1935 until 1940, when two typhoons swept Wake with resultant extensive damage to the now elaborately developed Pan American facilities, development and use of the base were steady but uneventful.
- The furthest airport from Wake Island Airfield (AWK) is RAF Ascension (ASI), which is located 11,652 miles (18,752 kilometers) away in Georgetown, Ascension Island, Saint Helena.
Facts about John Wayne Airport (SNA):
- The main runway, at 5,701 feet, is the shortest of any major airport in the United States, and passenger airliners at the airport have never been larger than the Boeing 757.
- In addition to continuing to serve aviation, the field became an important drag racing center.
- In 1926, Eddie Martin was finally able to acquire a hangar for his airport, a portable wooden building which sold for $350.
- Because of John Wayne Airport's relatively low elevation of 56 feet, planes can take off or land at John Wayne 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 Arrivals level is on the lower level of the airport and provides seven baggage claim belts, two in Terminal A, two in Terminal B and three in Terminal C.
- The closest airport to John Wayne Airport (SNA) is MCAS El Toro (NZJ), which is located only 8 miles (13 kilometers) E of SNA.
- The furthest airport from John Wayne Airport (SNA) is Pierrefonds Airport (ZSE), which is located 11,490 miles (18,491 kilometers) away in Saint-Pierre, Réunion.
- In 2011, additional terminal space was added and existing terminals were refreshed as part of a $543 million expansion project.
- John Wayne Airport (SNA) has 2 runways.
