Nonstop flight route between Tacoma, Washington, United States and Zhijiang, Hubei, China:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Gray Army Airfield (GRF), Tacoma, Washington, United States and Zhijiang Airport (HJJ), Zhijiang, Hubei, China would travel a Great Circle distance of 6,346 miles (or 10,213 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 Zhijiang 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 Zhijiang 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):

• The 9th Cavalry Brigade in the 1980s developed air-assault strategies with their AH-1 Cobra helicopters based upon experiences learned in Vietnam.
• 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.
• Gray Army Airfield (GRF) currently has only 1 runway.
• 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.
• 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.
• The Air Transport Command.
• During the Vietnam War, GAAF not only trained helicopter units, but fixed-wing aircraft units as well.
• In October 1921 Curtiss JN-4 “Jenny” biplanes flew from the Naval Station at Sand Point to a grass airfield at what was then called "Camp Lewis", located at a site just west of today’s Gray AAF.
• In addition to being known as "Gray Army Airfield", another name for GRF is "(Joint Base Lewis-McChord)".

Facts about Zhijiang Airport (HJJ):

• Zhijiang Airport (HJJ) currently has only 1 runway.
• The furthest airport from Zhijiang Airport (HJJ) is Chamonate Airfield (CPO), which is nearly antipodal to Zhijiang Airport (meaning Zhijiang Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Chamonate Airfield), and is located 12,425 miles (19,995 kilometers) away in Copiapó, Atacama Region, Chile.
• Chihkiang Air Base was also the headquarters of the Fourteenth Air Force Chinese-American Composite Wing, whose squadrons flew P-40 Warhawk aircraft.
• During World War II, the airport was known as Chihkiang Airfield and was used by the United States Army Air Forces Fourteenth Air Force as part of the China Defensive Campaign.
• In addition to being known as "Zhijiang Airport", other names for HJJ include "芷江机场", "Zhǐjiāng Jīchǎng" and "ZGCJ".
• The Americans closed their facilities at the airport in early October 1945.
• The closest airport to Zhijiang Airport (HJJ) is Tongren Fenghuang Airport (TEN), which is located 39 miles (62 kilometers) NW of HJJ.