Nonstop flight route between Geilenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany and Sault Ste Marie, Michigan, United States:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from GKE to CIU:
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- About this route
- GKE Airport Information
- CIU Airport Information
- Facts about GKE
- Facts about CIU
- Map of Nearest Airports to GKE
- List of Nearest Airports to GKE
- Map of Furthest Airports from GKE
- List of Furthest Airports from GKE
- Map of Nearest Airports to CIU
- List of Nearest Airports to CIU
- Map of Furthest Airports from CIU
- List of Furthest Airports from CIU
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component (GKE), Geilenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany and Chippewa County International Airport (CIU), Sault Ste Marie, Michigan, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 3,879 miles (or 6,242 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 NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component and Chippewa County International 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 NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component and Chippewa County International Airport. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | GKE / ETNG |
Airport Name: | NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component |
Location: | Geilenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany |
GPS Coordinates: | 50°57'38"N by 6°2'33"E |
Operator/Owner: | NATO |
Airport Type: | Military |
Elevation: | 296 feet (90 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from GKE |
More Information: | GKE Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | CIU / KCIU |
Airport Name: | Chippewa County International Airport |
Location: | Sault Ste Marie, Michigan, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 46°15'2"N by 84°28'20"W |
Area Served: | Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan |
Operator/Owner: | Chippewa County EDC |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 799 feet (244 meters) |
# of Runways: | 2 |
View all routes: | Routes from CIU |
More Information: | CIU Maps & Info |
Facts about NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component (GKE):
- In January 1980 the first E-3A Component personnel started arriving at the base, and in October 1980 the NATO Defence Planning Committee granted the E-3A Component the status of a NATO International Military Headquarters.
- The E-3A Component is NATO's first operational flying unit with multinational manning.
- Since coming into service in the early 1980s, the aircraft and their onboard systems and associated ground-based equipment have undergone regular upgrading.
- The furthest airport from NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component (GKE) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is located 11,929 miles (19,198 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
- Because of NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component's relatively low elevation of 296 feet, planes can take off or land at NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component 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 closest airport to NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component (GKE) is Merzbrück Airfield (AAH), which is located only 11 miles (18 kilometers) SSE of GKE.
- NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component (GKE) currently has only 1 runway.
Facts about Chippewa County International Airport (CIU):
- Because of Chippewa County International Airport's relatively low elevation of 799 feet, planes can take off or land at Chippewa County 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.
- The furthest airport from Chippewa County International Airport (CIU) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,103 miles (17,869 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
- Chippewa County International Airport (CIU) has 2 runways.
- The airport opened a new passenger terminal in September 2002.
- The closest airport to Chippewa County International Airport (CIU) is Kincheloe Air Force Base (INR), which is located only 0 mile (0 kilometer) N of CIU.
- Chippewa County International Airport is a public use airport in Chippewa County, Michigan, United States.