Nonstop flight route between Tacoma, Washington, United States and Boca Raton, Florida, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Gray Army Airfield (GRF), Tacoma, Washington, United States and Boca Raton Airport (BCT), Boca Raton, Florida, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 2,706 miles (or 4,355 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 Boca Raton 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 Gray Army Airfield and Boca Raton Airport. 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):

• During the Vietnam War, GAAF not only trained helicopter units, but fixed-wing aircraft units as well.
• Gray Army Airfield (GRF) currently has only 1 runway.
• 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.
• World War II cantonment construction involved the demolition of some of the pre-1941 buildings.
• 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)".
• 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.
• 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.
• The 91st Observation Squadron and aircraft of the 3rd Balloon Squadron operated out of the Fort Lewis airfield.
• The 9th Cavalry Brigade in the 1980s developed air-assault strategies with their AH-1 Cobra helicopters based upon experiences learned in Vietnam.
• The field is named in honor of Captain Lawrence C.

Facts about Boca Raton Airport (BCT):

• The closest airport to Boca Raton Airport (BCT) is Pompano Beach Airpark (PPM), which is located only 9 miles (15 kilometers) S of BCT.
• The furthest airport from Boca Raton Airport (BCT) is Shark Bay Airport (MJK), which is located 11,588 miles (18,649 kilometers) away in Monkey Mia, Western Australia, Australia.
• The Boca Raton Airport was established in 1936.
• The airport suffered more than $12 million worth of damage to hangars when Hurricane Wilma passed through the area in October 2005.
• The military inactivated the Boca Raton Army Air Field in 1946 and in the 1950s part of the air base was used for a Cold War biological weapons program before the property was developed into Florida Atlantic University.
• The Boca Raton Airport, also known as Boca Raton Army Airfield, was selected to house a military airfield for a number of geographic and practical reasons.
• Because of Boca Raton Airport's relatively low elevation of 13 feet, planes can take off or land at Boca Raton 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.
• Boca Raton Airport (BCT) currently has only 1 runway.
• The airport operated without a control tower until 2000 when the current control tower opened.