Nonstop flight route between Geilenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany and Charlotte Amalie, Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component (GKE), Geilenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany and Charlotte Amalie Harbor Seaplane Base (SPB), Charlotte Amalie, Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,418 miles (or 7,111 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 Charlotte Amalie Harbor Seaplane 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 Charlotte Amalie Harbor Seaplane 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 NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component (GKE):

• The E-3A Component directly employs more than 3,000 personnel at NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen and therefore has a significant economic impact in the surrounding communities.
• Following NATO’s decision to establish the NATO Airborne Early Warning & Control Force program and to make the base near Teveren the Main Operating Base of the E­3A Component, a major construction program was started in 1980 to modify the operational and support facilities.
• 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.
• 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.
• An Economic Impact Study compiled by the NATO E-3A Component shows a 2008 economic impact of 275.8 million euro within a 200-kilometer radius of the base.
• The Component’s multinational, fully integrated workforce consists of more than 3,000 military and civilian personnel from 16 NATO member nations.
• NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component (GKE) currently has only 1 runway.

Facts about Charlotte Amalie Harbor Seaplane Base (SPB):

• The furthest airport from Charlotte Amalie Harbor Seaplane Base (SPB) is Barrow Island Airport (BWB), which is nearly antipodal to Charlotte Amalie Harbor Seaplane Base (meaning Charlotte Amalie Harbor Seaplane Base is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Barrow Island Airport), and is located 12,261 miles (19,732 kilometers) away in Barrow Island, Western Australia, Australia.
• Charlotte Amalie Harbor Seaplane Base (SPB) has 2 runways.
• Because of Charlotte Amalie Harbor Seaplane Base's relatively low elevation of 0 feet, planes can take off or land at Charlotte Amalie Harbor Seaplane Base 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 "Charlotte Amalie Harbor Seaplane Base", other names for SPB include "St. Thomas Seaplane Base" and "VI22".
• The closest airport to Charlotte Amalie Harbor Seaplane Base (SPB) is Cyril E. King Airport (STT), which is located only 2 miles (3 kilometers) W of SPB.