Nonstop flight route between Tacoma, Washington, United States and Latacunga, Ecuador:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Gray Army Airfield (GRF), Tacoma, Washington, United States and Cotopaxi International Airport (LTX), Latacunga, Ecuador would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,243 miles (or 6,829 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 Cotopaxi International 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 Cotopaxi International 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):

• In addition to being known as "Gray Army Airfield", another name for GRF is "(Joint Base Lewis-McChord)".
• The 9th Cavalry Brigade in the 1980s developed air-assault strategies with their AH-1 Cobra helicopters based upon experiences learned in Vietnam.
• 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 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 furthest airport from Gray Army Airfield (GRF) is Tôlanaro Airport (FTU), which is located 10,809 miles (17,395 kilometers) away in Tôlanaro, Madagascar.
• During the Korean War, GAAF continued in the role as a training and division support field.
• 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.
• Camp Lewis advocates pushed for it to be a major dirigible and fixed-wing field.
• 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.
• Gray Army Airfield (GRF) currently has only 1 runway.
• The field is named in honor of Captain Lawrence C.

Facts about Cotopaxi International Airport (LTX):

• Because of Cotopaxi International Airport's high elevation of 9,205 feet, planes must typically fly at a faster airspeed in order to takeoff or land at LTX. Combined with a high temperature, this could make LTX a "Hot & High" airport, where the air density is lower than it would otherwise be at sea level.
• Cotopaxi International Airport (LTX) currently has only 1 runway.
• The closest airport to Cotopaxi International Airport (LTX) is Chachoan Airport (ATF), which is located 21 miles (34 kilometers) S of LTX.
• The furthest airport from Cotopaxi International Airport (LTX) is Sultan Syarif Kasim II International Airport (PKU), which is nearly antipodal to Cotopaxi International Airport (meaning Cotopaxi International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Sultan Syarif Kasim II International Airport), and is located 12,406 miles (19,965 kilometers) away in Pekanbaru, Sumatra, Indonesia.
• In addition to being known as "Cotopaxi International Airport", other names for LTX include "Aeropuerto Internacional Cotopaxi" and "SELT".