Nonstop flight route between Geilenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany and Omaha, Nebraska, United States:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from GKE to OFF:
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- About this route
- GKE Airport Information
- OFF Airport Information
- Facts about GKE
- Facts about OFF
- 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 OFF
- List of Nearest Airports to OFF
- Map of Furthest Airports from OFF
- List of Furthest Airports from OFF
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component (GKE), Geilenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany and Offutt Air Force Base (OFF), Omaha, Nebraska, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,535 miles (or 7,298 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 Offutt 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 NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component and Offutt Air Force Base. 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: | OFF / KOFF |
| Airport Names: |
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| Location: | Omaha, Nebraska, United States |
| GPS Coordinates: | 41°7'9"N by 95°54'30"W |
| View all routes: | Routes from OFF |
| More Information: | OFF Maps & Info |
Facts about NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component (GKE):
- Since coming into service in the early 1980s, the aircraft and their onboard systems and associated ground-based equipment have undergone regular upgrading.
- NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component (GKE) currently has only 1 runway.
- NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen is located near Geilenkirchen, Germany.
- Flying operations at Geilenkirchen ended in January 1968 and the installation was handed over to the German Air Force in March 1968.
- The E-3A Component is NATO's first operational flying unit with multinational manning.
- The fleet of E-3's has remained in operation since the Cold War and has adapted its mission to emerging security threats, primarily in European airspace.
- 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.
- Surrounded by farmland and a natural woodland reserve, the base was originally built by the Royal Air Force after World War II and operated as RAF Geilenkirchen from 1953 onwards.
- 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 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.
- 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.
Facts about Offutt Air Force Base (OFF):
- In addition to being known as "Offutt Air Force Base", another name for OFF is "Offutt AFB".
- For over a century, Offutt AFB has played a key role in American military history.
- The oldest surviving portion of Fort Crook is the parade grounds and surrounding red brick buildings that were constructed between 1894–96.
- The closest airport to Offutt Air Force Base (OFF) is Millard Airport (MIQ), which is located only 12 miles (19 kilometers) WNW of OFF.
- Production switched to B-29 Superfortress very heavy bombers in 1944, and 531 Superfortresses were produced before the end of World War II.
- Operational use of Offutt Air Force Base included the basing of alert tankers in the late 1950s and 1960s, support for intercontinental ballistic missile sites in Nebraska and Iowa in the 1960s, and worldwide reconnaissance from the mid-1960s to the present.
- Production ended on 18 September 1945, when the last B-29 rolled out of the assembly building.
- The furthest airport from Offutt Air Force Base (OFF) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 10,677 miles (17,183 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
