Nonstop flight route between Goldsboro, North Carolina, United States and Canton Island, Kiribati:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Seymour Johnson Air Force Base (GSB), Goldsboro, North Carolina, United States and Canton Island Airport (CIS), Canton Island, Kiribati would travel a Great Circle distance of 6,540 miles (or 10,525 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 Seymour Johnson Air Force Base and Canton Island 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 Seymour Johnson Air Force Base and Canton Island 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 Seymour Johnson Air Force Base (GSB):

• In addition to being known as "Seymour Johnson Air Force Base", another name for GSB is "Seymour Johnson AFB".
• Interestingly, the namesake of the base, Seymour Johnson, was never part of the Air Force.
• After the airfield's closure in 1947, local community leaders campaigned for many years to reopen Seymour Johnson.
• The unit initially arrived at Seymour Johnson in October 1985 as a small advance team until October 1986.
• After the cease fire, the 4th TFW continued rotating squadron elements to Southwest Asia during the 1990s, taking part in enforcement of the no-fly zones in Iraq.
• The furthest airport from Seymour Johnson Air Force Base (GSB) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,689 miles (18,811 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
• Reactivated as the 4th Fighter Wing on 28 July 1947, members of the wing have served all over the world, including the Korean War, Vietnam War, Operation Desert Storm and Operation Iraqi Freedom.
• The closest airport to Seymour Johnson Air Force Base (GSB) is Kinston Regional Jetport (ISO), which is located only 20 miles (32 kilometers) E of GSB.
• During the Cuban Missile Crisis, the 4th Tactical Fighter Wing forward deployed its F-105 aircraft to McCoy Air Force Base, Florida, ready to react at a moment's notice for possible combat over Cuba.

Facts about Canton Island Airport (CIS):

• The closest airport to Canton Island Airport (CIS) is Funafuti International Airport (FUN), which is located 741 miles (1,193 kilometers) WSW of CIS.
• Kanton Island airport continued to see use during the 1950s as a trans-Pacific stopover for DC-4, DC-6B and DC-7C aircraft for Pan American, British Commonwealth Pacific, Qantas and Canadian Pacific Airlines, but with the advent of long-range jet aircraft during the 1960s, their need for the island faded, and the airfield and its associated facilities were ultimately abandoned in 1965.
• The furthest airport from Canton Island Airport (CIS) is Malabo International Airport (SSG), which is nearly antipodal to Canton Island Airport (meaning Canton Island Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Malabo International Airport), and is located 12,363 miles (19,896 kilometers) away in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea.
• The political status of the island was uncertain at first, with American and British settlers occupying two separate camps on the island.
• Canton Island Airport (CIS) currently has only 1 runway.
• The Pan American pioneered central air route, Hawaii to the Philippines and Asia by way of stations at Midway, Wake and Guam passed through the Japanese controlled islands with serious concerns about its safety growing in 1941 even as the Army had reinforced the Philippines with a flight of B-17 bombers by way of Midway, Wake and Port Moresby in September.
• Because of Canton Island Airport's relatively low elevation of 9 feet, planes can take off or land at Canton Island 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.