Nonstop flight route between Geraldton, Western Australia, Australia and Tacoma, Washington, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Geraldton Airport (GET), Geraldton, Western Australia, Australia and McChord Field/McChord AFB (TCM), Tacoma, Washington, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 9,158 miles (or 14,738 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 Geraldton Airport and McChord Field/McChord AFB, 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 Geraldton Airport and McChord Field/McChord AFB. 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 Geraldton Airport (GET):

• Flying training squadrons from RAAF Base Pearce also use Geraldton Airport.
• Bristow Helicopters provide offshore support services to drill companies exploring offshore from Dongara.
• Geraldton Airport (GET) has 3 runways.
• The closest airport to Geraldton Airport (GET) is Mullewa Airport (MXU), which is located 54 miles (87 kilometers) ENE of GET.
• Geraldton Airport handled 104,051 passengers last year.
• The Royal Flying Doctor Service in Western Australia utilises the airport on an as required basis and has an aircraft hangar which is vested in the City of Greater Geraldton adjacent to the general aviation terminal.
• The furthest airport from Geraldton Airport (GET) is L.F. Wade International Airport (BDA), which is nearly antipodal to Geraldton Airport (meaning Geraldton Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from L.F. Wade International Airport), and is located 12,188 miles (19,614 kilometers) away in Ferry Reach (near Hamilton), Bermuda.
• Geraldton Airport is the general aviation and regular passenger transport airport for the City of Greater Geraldton and it meets varying transport, industrial and commercial interests across the mid-west region.
• Because of Geraldton Airport's relatively low elevation of 121 feet, planes can take off or land at Geraldton 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.
• Geraldton Airport is the base for several general aviation flying training and charter operators, namely.
• Midwest Aviation, conduct aircraft maintenance and have aircraft engineers.
• Geraldton Airport was ranked 44th in Australia for the number of revenue passengers served in financial year 2010-2011.
• Geraldton Airport has daily Regular Public Transport services, Geraldton – Perth – Geraldton, provided by both QantasLink and Virgin Australia Regional Airlines using Dash 8-400 and Fokker 50 aircraft respectively.

Facts about McChord Field/McChord AFB (TCM):

• On 28 February 1938 the airfield was officially transferred to the United States Government.
• Because of McChord Field/McChord AFB's relatively low elevation of 322 feet, planes can take off or land at McChord Field/McChord AFB 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 addition to being known as "McChord Field/McChord AFB", another name for TCM is "Part of Air Mobility Command (AMC)".
• McChord Field/McChord AFB (TCM) has 2 runways.
• The ADC radar site was deactivated 1 April 1960 and repositioned to Fort Lawton AFS where the Air Force consolidated its anti-aircraft radars with the United States Army Seattle Defense Area Army Air-Defense Command Post S-90DC for Nike missile operations.
• In 1917, the citizens of Pierce County, Washington approved a bond measure for $2,000,000 to buy 70,000 acres of land to be donated to the Federal Government for use as a military reservation.
• The closest airport to McChord Field/McChord AFB (TCM) is Gray Army Airfield (GRF), which is located only 6 miles (10 kilometers) SW of TCM.
• In 1975, TAC divested itself of its C-130 Hercules tactical airlift fleet, transferring all tactical airlift wings, groups and squadrons to MAC.
• McChord also had large maintenance facilities for Air Technical Service Command during the war, serving served as a P-39 Aircobra modification center April 1944 – May 1945 for lend-lease aircraft being sent to Russia via the Alaska Territory.
• The base was the location of the first of twenty-eight stations built by ADC as part of the permanent air defense radar network, and was the top-priority site for ADC radars.
• The furthest airport from McChord Field/McChord AFB (TCM) is Tôlanaro Airport (FTU), which is located 10,803 miles (17,386 kilometers) away in Tôlanaro, Madagascar.