Nonstop flight route between Perry, Florida, United States and Buka Island, Papua New Guinea:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Perry-Foley AirportPerry Army Airfield (FPY), Perry, Florida, United States and Buka Island Airport (BUA), Buka Island, Papua New Guinea would travel a Great Circle distance of 8,294 miles (or 13,348 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 Perry-Foley AirportPerry Army Airfield and Buka Island 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 Perry-Foley AirportPerry Army Airfield and Buka Island 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 Perry-Foley AirportPerry Army Airfield (FPY):

• In addition to being known as "Perry-Foley AirportPerry Army Airfield", another name for FPY is "40J".
• The closest airport to Perry-Foley AirportPerry Army Airfield (FPY) is Cross City Airport (CTY), which is located 41 miles (67 kilometers) SE of FPY.
• Perry-Foley AirportPerry Army Airfield (FPY) has 3 runways.
• The furthest airport from Perry-Foley AirportPerry Army Airfield (FPY) is Shark Bay Airport (MJK), which is located 11,352 miles (18,270 kilometers) away in Monkey Mia, Western Australia, Australia.
• During World War II, the airfield was constructed and used by the Third Air Force of the United States Army Air Forces for training.
• Because of Perry-Foley AirportPerry Army Airfield's relatively low elevation of 45 feet, planes can take off or land at Perry-Foley AirportPerry 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 the close of hostilities, the last military pilots left Perry AAF in September 1945.

Facts about Buka Island Airport (BUA):

• Because of Buka Island Airport's relatively low elevation of 11 feet, planes can take off or land at Buka Island 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.
• On 13 May 1943 Allied reconnaissance observed 36 fighters and 6 bombers at the airstrip.
• The furthest airport from Buka Island Airport (BUA) is São Filipe Airport (SFL), which is located 11,781 miles (18,959 kilometers) away in Fogo, Cape Verde.
• Buka Island Airport (BUA) currently has only 1 runway.
• In January 1944, the Allies drove the Japanese out of Buka, and the airfield was used for operations against the Japanese over New Guinea.
• It is located at the southern end of the island, near Buka Passage behind the town of Buka, and pre-war Chinatown.
• The closest airport to Buka Island Airport (BUA) is Nissan Island Airport (IIS), which is located 71 miles (114 kilometers) NNW of BUA.
• In 2004, the airport experienced some closures due to land disputes.
• On 26 July, an Imperial Japanese Navy special detachment was sent to inspect Buka Airfield, but considered it unacceptable as a prospect for a speedily constructed major airfield.