Nonstop flight route between Fort Knox, Kentucky, United States and Varadero, Matanzas Province, Cuba:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from FTK to VRA:
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- About this route
- FTK Airport Information
- VRA Airport Information
- Facts about FTK
- Facts about VRA
- Map of Nearest Airports to FTK
- List of Nearest Airports to FTK
- Map of Furthest Airports from FTK
- List of Furthest Airports from FTK
- Map of Nearest Airports to VRA
- List of Nearest Airports to VRA
- Map of Furthest Airports from VRA
- List of Furthest Airports from VRA
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Godman Army Airfield (FTK), Fort Knox, Kentucky, United States and Juan Gualberto Gómez Airport (VRA), Varadero, Matanzas Province, Cuba would travel a Great Circle distance of 1,062 miles (or 1,709 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 relatively short distance between Godman Army Airfield and Juan Gualberto Gómez Airport, the route shown on this map most likely still appears to be a straight line.
Departure Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | FTK / KFTK |
Airport Name: | Godman Army Airfield |
Location: | Fort Knox, Kentucky, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 37°54'24"N by 85°58'19"W |
Operator/Owner: | United States Army |
Airport Type: | Military |
Elevation: | 756 feet (230 meters) |
# of Runways: | 4 |
View all routes: | Routes from FTK |
More Information: | FTK Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | VRA / MUVR |
Airport Names: |
|
Location: | Varadero, Matanzas Province, Cuba |
GPS Coordinates: | 23°2'3"N by 81°26'7"W |
Operator/Owner: | ECASA S.A. |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 210 feet (64 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from VRA |
More Information: | VRA Maps & Info |
Facts about Godman Army Airfield (FTK):
- The Thomas Mantell incident began at 1:20pm on 7 January 1948, when the control tower operators at Godman Army Airfield, Kentucky sighted an unidentified airborne object in the sky close to the base.
- Because of Godman Army Airfield's relatively low elevation of 756 feet, planes can take off or land at Godman 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.
- In 1944, the mission changed to replacement training, and the 477th Bombardment Group became the B-25 Replacement Training unit.
- The next message came from one of the three remaining pilots, who said he was losing his bearings and was becoming fearful of becoming lost.
- Godman Army Airfield (FTK) has 4 runways.
- The furthest airport from Godman Army Airfield (FTK) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,229 miles (18,071 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
- The closest airport to Godman Army Airfield (FTK) is Addington Field (EKX), which is located only 15 miles (25 kilometers) S of FTK.
- The official Air Technical Information Command report on the crash stated that they were of the opinion that Captain Mantell lost consciousness due to oxygen starvation.
Facts about Juan Gualberto Gómez Airport (VRA):
- The closest airport to Juan Gualberto Gómez Airport (VRA) is Kawama Airport (VRO), which is located only 10 miles (17 kilometers) NE of VRA.
- The terminal building has shops for tourists, a large departures lounge cafeterias and a VIP lounge.
- There has been 5 significant incidents involving aircraft from or en route to the airport since the 1950s.
- Juan Gualberto Gómez Airport (VRA) currently has only 1 runway.
- In addition to being known as "Juan Gualberto Gómez Airport", another name for VRA is "Aeropuerto Juan Gualberto Gómez".
- Because of Juan Gualberto Gómez Airport's relatively low elevation of 210 feet, planes can take off or land at Juan Gualberto Gómez 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 Juan Gualberto Gómez Airport (VRA) is Cocos (Keeling) Island Airport (CCK), which is located 11,679 miles (18,795 kilometers) away in Cocos Islands, Australia.