Nonstop flight route between Bratislava, Slovakia and Tacoma, Washington, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Bratislava Airport (BTS), Bratislava, Slovakia and McChord Field/McChord AFB (TCM), Tacoma, Washington, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,420 miles (or 8,723 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 Bratislava Airport and McChord Field/McChord AFB, 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 Bratislava Airport and McChord Field/McChord AFB. 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 Bratislava Airport (BTS):

• In addition to being known as "Bratislava Airport", other names for BTS include "Milan Rastislav Štefánik Airport" and "Letisko M. R. Štefánika".
• Bratislava Airport (BTS) has 2 runways.
• Because of Bratislava Airport's relatively low elevation of 436 feet, planes can take off or land at Bratislava 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.
• Bratislava serves as a base for the Slovak Government Flying Service as well as AirExplore, Go2Sky, Opera Jet, Samair, Travel Service Slovakia and VR Jet.
• The number of passengers served at Bratislava Airport decreased temporarily in the early 1990s due to competition by the nearby Vienna International Airport distant from Bratislava Airport), but it has been quickly increasing since.
• The furthest airport from Bratislava Airport (BTS) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is located 11,716 miles (18,855 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
• The closest airport to Bratislava Airport (BTS) is Vienna International Airport (VIE), which is located 30 miles (48 kilometers) W of BTS.
• Bratislava Airport handled 1,416,117 passengers last year.

Facts about McChord Field/McChord AFB (TCM):

• In 1940 McChord Field became the headquarters of the GHQ Air Force Northwest Air District, with a mission for the defense of the Pacific Northwest and Upper Great Plains regions of the United States.
• The closest airport to McChord Field/McChord AFB (TCM) is Gray Army Airfield (GRF), which is located only 6 miles (10 kilometers) SW of TCM.
• The McChord Air Museum features exhibits about McChord Field and a collection of restored military aircraft.
• McChord Field is a United States Air Force base in Pierce County, Washington, United States.
• McChord Field/McChord AFB (TCM) has 2 runways.
• On 28 February 1938 the airfield was officially transferred to the United States Government.
• Because of McChord Field/McChord AFB's relatively low elevation of 322 feet, planes can take off or land at McChord Field/McChord AFB 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 furthest airport from McChord Field/McChord AFB (TCM) is Tôlanaro Airport (FTU), which is located 10,803 miles (17,386 kilometers) away in Tôlanaro, Madagascar.
• With the departure of the 17th Bomb Group, the mission of McChord Field became supporting the Army Air Forces Training Command's mission of training of units, crews, and individuals for bombardment, fighter, and reconnaissance operations.
• McChord also had large maintenance facilities for Air Technical Service Command during the war, serving served as a P-39 Aircobra modification center April 1944 – May 1945 for lend-lease aircraft being sent to Russia via the Alaska Territory.
• In addition to being known as "McChord Field/McChord AFB", another name for TCM is "Part of Air Mobility Command (AMC)".
• In 1958, a Semi Automatic Ground Environment Data Center, and Combat Center was established at McChord.
• On 6 October 1949, the 62nd received its first four-engine Douglas C-54 Skymaster transport.