Nonstop flight route between Emmen, Lucerne, Switzerland and Tacoma, Washington, United States:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from EML to GRF:
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- About this route
- EML Airport Information
- GRF Airport Information
- Facts about EML
- Facts about GRF
- Map of Nearest Airports to EML
- List of Nearest Airports to EML
- Map of Furthest Airports from EML
- List of Furthest Airports from EML
- 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 Emmen Swiss Air Base (EML), Emmen, Lucerne, Switzerland and Gray Army Airfield (GRF), Tacoma, Washington, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,288 miles (or 8,510 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 Emmen Swiss Air Base 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 Emmen Swiss Air Base 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: | EML / LSME |
Airport Names: |
|
Location: | Emmen, Lucerne, Switzerland |
GPS Coordinates: | 47°5'31"N by 8°18'3"E |
Area Served: | Emmen, Lucerne, Switzerland |
Airport Type: | Military |
View all routes: | Routes from EML |
More Information: | EML Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | GRF / KGRF |
Airport Names: |
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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 Emmen Swiss Air Base (EML):
- The furthest airport from Emmen Swiss Air Base (EML) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is nearly antipodal to Emmen Swiss Air Base (meaning Emmen Swiss Air Base is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Chatham Islands), and is located 12,113 miles (19,495 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
- In addition to being known as "Emmen Swiss Air Base", another name for EML is "Flugplatzkommando Emmen".
- The closest airport to Emmen Swiss Air Base (EML) is Zurich Airport (ZRH), which is located 28 miles (45 kilometers) NNE of EML.
Facts about Gray Army Airfield (GRF):
- 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.
- World War II cantonment construction involved the demolition of some of the pre-1941 buildings.
- In addition to being known as "Gray Army Airfield", another name for GRF is "(Joint Base Lewis-McChord)".
- 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.
- August 1984 saw GAAF become one of few test centers for the UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters.
- 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.
- 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 (GRF) currently has only 1 runway.