Nonstop flight route between Fort Stockton, Texas, United States and Paraparaumu Beach, New Zealand:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Fort Stockton-Pecos County Airport (FST), Fort Stockton, Texas, United States and Kapiti Coast Airport (PPQ), Paraparaumu Beach, New Zealand would travel a Great Circle distance of 7,208 miles (or 11,599 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 Fort Stockton-Pecos County Airport and Kapiti Coast 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 Fort Stockton-Pecos County Airport and Kapiti Coast 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 Fort Stockton-Pecos County Airport (FST):

• In addition to being known as "Fort Stockton-Pecos County Airport", another name for FST is "Gibbs Army Airfield".
• The furthest airport from Fort Stockton-Pecos County Airport (FST) is Sir Gaëtan Duval Airport (RRG), which is located 11,286 miles (18,163 kilometers) away in Rodrigues Island, Mauritius.
• The closest airport to Fort Stockton-Pecos County Airport (FST) is Pecos Municipal Airport (PEQ), which is located 48 miles (77 kilometers) NW of FST.
• The airport opened as Gibbs Field, or Fort Stockton Field and was used by the United States Army Air Forces as a training base during World War II.
• Fort Stockton-Pecos County Airport (FST) has 4 runways.
• Opened on 1 June 1942 with two 2,500' turf runways.

Facts about Kapiti Coast Airport (PPQ):

• The furthest airport from Kapiti Coast Airport (PPQ) is Salamanca-Matacán Airport (SLM), which is nearly antipodal to Kapiti Coast Airport (meaning Kapiti Coast Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Salamanca-Matacán Airport), and is located 12,411 miles (19,973 kilometers) away in Salamanca, Spain.
• Kapiti Coast Airport (PPQ) has 3 runways.
• In 1952 a DC-3 experienced engine failure when about to land on Runway 34, and ploughed into a house in Kohutuhutu Rd, Raumati Beach.
• Re-development proposals involve closing 11/29, with a parallel grass runway as the only crosswind runway.
• Interest in providing commercial flights at Paraparaumu reignited because the Kapiti coast is one of New Zealand's fastest growing regional centres.
• The closest airport to Kapiti Coast Airport (PPQ) is Wellington International Airport (WLG), which is located 31 miles (49 kilometers) SSW of PPQ.
• Because of Kapiti Coast Airport's relatively low elevation of 22 feet, planes can take off or land at Kapiti Coast 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.
• In 1949 a Lockheed Lodestar from Whenuapai crashed into the Tararua Range.
• Paraparaumu was judged unsuitable for international operations in the 1950s due to Kapiti Island to the near west and the Tararua Ranges barely a mile east infringing the take-off and landing flightpaths.