Nonstop flight route between Okinawa Prefecture, Japan and Ulukhaktok, Northwest Territories, Canada:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Kadena Air Base 嘉手納飛行場 Kadena Hikōjō (DNA), Okinawa Prefecture, Japan and Ulukhaktok/Holman Airport (YHI), Ulukhaktok, Northwest Territories, Canada would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,025 miles (or 8,086 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 Kadena Air Base 嘉手納飛行場 Kadena Hikōjō and Ulukhaktok/Holman 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 Kadena Air Base 嘉手納飛行場 Kadena Hikōjō and Ulukhaktok/Holman Airport. 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 Kadena Air Base 嘉手納飛行場 Kadena Hikōjō (DNA):

• The closest airport to Kadena Air Base 嘉手納飛行場 Kadena Hikōjō (DNA) is Naha Airport (OKA), which is located only 13 miles (21 kilometers) SW of DNA.
• In addition to being known as "Kadena Air Base 嘉手納飛行場 Kadena Hikōjō", another name for DNA is "Kadena AFB".
• In 1972, the 1st Special Operations Squadron was assigned, bringing their specialized Lockheed C/MC-130 Hercules aircraft to the wing.
• Kadena Air Base's history dates back to just before the 1 April 1945, Battle of Okinawa, when a local construction firm completed a small airfield named Yara Hikojo near the island's village of Kadena.
• The furthest airport from Kadena Air Base 嘉手納飛行場 Kadena Hikōjō (DNA) is Paulo Abdala Airport (FBE), which is nearly antipodal to Kadena Air Base 嘉手納飛行場 Kadena Hikōjō (meaning Kadena Air Base 嘉手納飛行場 Kadena Hikōjō is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Paulo Abdala Airport), and is located 12,381 miles (19,926 kilometers) away in Francisco Beltrao, Paraná, Brazil.
• Twentieth Air Force was inactivated in March 1955.
• Beginning in 1961, the 18th was sending its tactical squadrons frequently to South Vietnam and Thailand, initially with its RF-101 reconnaissance forces, and beginning in 1964 with its tactical fighter forces supporting USAF combat missions in the Vietnam War.

Facts about Ulukhaktok/Holman Airport (YHI):

• Gravel for the runway was obtained from the north bank of the Okpilik River and the area was left untouched.
• The closest airport to Ulukhaktok/Holman Airport (YHI) is Paulatuk (Nora Aliqatchialuk Ruben) Airport (YPC), which is located 177 miles (284 kilometers) WSW of YHI.
• The runway is the standard gravel strip that is seen in most Canadian Arctic communities and is 4,300 by 100 ft with the centre 117 ft above sea leavel.
• Ulukhaktok/Holman Airport (YHI) currently has only 1 runway.
• Because of Ulukhaktok/Holman Airport's relatively low elevation of 117 feet, planes can take off or land at Ulukhaktok/Holman 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 furthest airport from Ulukhaktok/Holman Airport (YHI) is Teniente Rodolfo Marsh Airport (TNM), which is located 9,609 miles (15,464 kilometers) away in Villa Las Estrellas, Antarctica.