Nonstop flight route between Geilenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany and Van Horn, Texas, United States:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from GKE to VHN:
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- About this route
- GKE Airport Information
- VHN Airport Information
- Facts about GKE
- Facts about VHN
- 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 VHN
- List of Nearest Airports to VHN
- Map of Furthest Airports from VHN
- List of Furthest Airports from VHN
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component (GKE), Geilenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany and Culberson County Airport (VHN), Van Horn, Texas, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,385 miles (or 8,667 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 Culberson County 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 Culberson County 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: | VHN / KVHN |
Airport Name: | Culberson County Airport |
Location: | Van Horn, Texas, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 31°3'28"N by 104°47'2"W |
Operator/Owner: | Culberson County |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 3957 feet (1,206 meters) |
# of Runways: | 2 |
View all routes: | Routes from VHN |
More Information: | VHN Maps & Info |
Facts about NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component (GKE):
- NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen E–3A Component (GKE) currently has only 1 runway.
- 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.
- E-3A Component flying operations began in February 1982 after delivery of the first E3A aircraft.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 is located near Geilenkirchen, Germany.
- The E-3A Component is NATO's first operational flying unit with multinational manning.
Facts about Culberson County Airport (VHN):
- The closest airport to Culberson County Airport (VHN) is Marfa Municipal Airport (MRF), which is located 66 miles (106 kilometers) SE of VHN.
- Culberson County Airport (VHN) has 2 runways.
- The furthest airport from Culberson County Airport (VHN) is Sir Gaëtan Duval Airport (RRG), which is located 11,363 miles (18,286 kilometers) away in Rodrigues Island, Mauritius.