Nonstop flight route between Funafuti, Tuvalu and Enid, Oklahoma, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Funafuti International Airport (FUN), Funafuti, Tuvalu and Vance Air Force Base (END), Enid, Oklahoma, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 6,176 miles (or 9,939 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 Funafuti International Airport and Vance Air Force Base, 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 Funafuti International Airport and Vance Air Force Base. 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 Funafuti International Airport (FUN):

• The closest airport to Funafuti International Airport (FUN) is Arorae Island Airport (AIS), which is located 440 miles (708 kilometers) NNW of FUN.
• Because of Funafuti International Airport's relatively low elevation of 9 feet, planes can take off or land at Funafuti International 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.
• By the middle of 1944, as the fighting moved further north toward Japan, the Americans began to withdraw.
• Funafuti International Airport (FUN) currently has only 1 runway.
• The furthest airport from Funafuti International Airport (FUN) is Tamale Airport (TML), which is nearly antipodal to Funafuti International Airport (meaning Funafuti International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Tamale Airport), and is located 12,365 miles (19,900 kilometers) away in Tamale, Northern Region, Ghana.
• The military airfield included an airstrip, control tower, facilities and radio station at Tepuka, connected by cable to the airfield.

Facts about Vance Air Force Base (END):

• In 1995 Air Force officials announced that Vance would transition to the Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training curriculum.
• The furthest airport from Vance Air Force Base (END) is Sir Gaëtan Duval Airport (RRG), which is located 10,825 miles (17,422 kilometers) away in Rodrigues Island, Mauritius.
• The first aircraft flown at Vance was the BT-13A, followed shortly by the BT-15.
• In keeping with the Air Force tradition of naming bases for deceased Air Force flyers, on July 9, 1949, the base was renamed after a local World War II hero and Medal of Honor recipient, Lt Col Leon Robert Vance, Jr.
• In addition to being known as "Vance Air Force Base", another name for END is "Vance ANGB".
• The closest airport to Vance Air Force Base (END) is Enid Woodring Regional Airport (WDG), which is located only 8 miles (12 kilometers) ENE of END.
• As the demand for pilots decreased with the end of the war in Europe, the Enid Army Flying Field was deactivated on 2 July 1945 and was transferred to the Army Corps of Engineers on 2 July 1946.
• The host unit at Vance is the 71st Flying Training Wing, which is a part of Air Education and Training Command.
• The 71st Flying Training Wing aims to train world-class pilots for the United States Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, and its Allies and to prepare Air Expeditionary Force warriors to deploy in support of the combatant commanders.