Nonstop flight route between Tacoma, Washington, United States and Andenes, Norway:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Gray Army Airfield (GRF), Tacoma, Washington, United States and Andøya Airport, Andenes (ANX), Andenes, Norway would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,127 miles (or 6,642 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 Gray Army Airfield and Andøya Airport, Andenes, 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 Gray Army Airfield and Andøya Airport, Andenes. 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 Gray Army Airfield (GRF):

• The furthest airport from Gray Army Airfield (GRF) is Tôlanaro Airport (FTU), which is located 10,809 miles (17,395 kilometers) away in Tôlanaro, Madagascar.
• Because of Gray Army Airfield's relatively low elevation of 300 feet, planes can take off or land at Gray Army Airfield 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.
• Used to support Fort Lewis, Army helicopters assisted with medical evacuations at Mount Rainier National Park on numerous occasions in the 1970s.
• In addition to being known as "Gray Army Airfield", another name for GRF is "(Joint Base Lewis-McChord)".
• Gray Army Airfield (GRF) currently has only 1 runway.
• After the Korean War, the 2d Aviation Company, of the 2d Infantry Division, which had been the first helicopter unit in Korea, returned to Fort Lewis with observation/spotter aircraft L-19 Bird Dogs, and L-20 Beavers, as well as H-23 Raven helicopters.
• The 1938 construction included two paved runways, a boiler plant, headquarters building, metal balloon hangar, six-plane hangar, corrugated-iron hangar, storehouse, flight-surgeon office, and film-storage building.
• Reactivated following service in Vietnam, the 9th Infantry Division aviation units occupied GAAF in 1972.
• The closest airport to Gray Army Airfield (GRF) is McChord Field/McChord AFB (TCM), which is located only 6 miles (10 kilometers) NE of GRF.
• It should not confused with Robert Gray Army Airfield at Fort Hood in Texas.

Facts about Andøya Airport, Andenes (ANX):

• In addition to being known as "Andøya Airport, Andenes", another name for ANX is "Andøya lufthavn, Andenes".
• The closest airport to Andøya Airport, Andenes (ANX) is Stokmarknes Airport, Skagen (SKN), which is located 56 miles (91 kilometers) SSW of ANX.
• Because of Andøya Airport, Andenes's relatively low elevation of 43 feet, planes can take off or land at Andøya Airport, Andenes 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.
• Andøya Airport, Andenes (ANX) currently has only 1 runway.
• It soon proved difficult to provide sufficient patronage to keep operations profitable.
• Andøya Airport, Andenes handled 48,254 passengers last year.
• The furthest airport from Andøya Airport, Andenes (ANX) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is located 10,620 miles (17,092 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.