Nonstop flight route between Berlin, Germany and Sacramento, California, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Royal Air Force Station Gatow (GWW), Berlin, Germany and Sacramento Executive Airport (SAC), Sacramento, California, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,586 miles (or 8,990 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 Royal Air Force Station Gatow and Sacramento Executive 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 Royal Air Force Station Gatow and Sacramento Executive 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 Royal Air Force Station Gatow (GWW):

• The RAF Gatow Station Flight used two De Havilland Chipmunk T10s, one of which is now in the Alliiertenmuseum, to maintain and exercise the British legal right under the Potsdam Agreement to use the airspace over both West and East Berlin, as well as the air corridors to and from West Germany to the city.
• In November 1948, the latest RAF transport aircraft, the Handley Page Hastings, was added to the squadrons flying into RAF Gatow and some aircrews and aircraft were redeployed to train replacement aircrews.
• Because of Royal Air Force Station Gatow's relatively low elevation of 161 feet, planes can take off or land at Royal Air Force Station Gatow 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 first landing by a Royal Air Force aircraft was by Avro Anson serial number PW698 on 2 July 1945 at 11.55 hours.
• The closest military neighbour to RAF Gatow was a tank unit of the National People's Army of East Germany.
• Royal Air Force Station Gatow (GWW) currently has only 1 runway.
• The furthest airport from Royal Air Force Station Gatow (GWW) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is located 11,694 miles (18,819 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
• The novel Air Bridge by Hammond Innes is partially set in RAF Gatow at the time of the Berlin Airlift, and is notable for its accurate descriptions of the Station, including corridors and rooms within it.
• The closest airport to Royal Air Force Station Gatow (GWW) is Berlin Tegel Airport (TXL), which is located only 9 miles (14 kilometers) NE of GWW.

Facts about Sacramento Executive Airport (SAC):

• During the airport's last summer of airline operations, the August 1967 Official Airline Guide lists 22 weekday nonstops to San Francisco, 11 to Los Angeles, seven to Reno, two to Medford, two to Marysville, and one each to Lake Tahoe, Klamath Falls and Oakland.
• The furthest airport from Sacramento Executive Airport (SAC) is Tôlanaro Airport (FTU), which is located 11,287 miles (18,165 kilometers) away in Tôlanaro, Madagascar.
• Because of Sacramento Executive Airport's relatively low elevation of 24 feet, planes can take off or land at Sacramento Executive 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.
• Sacramento Executive Airport (SAC) has 3 runways.
• Fuel is available from trucks or 24-hour self-serve credit card pumps and plenty of tie down and transient parking is available, the first six hours of which are free.
• The closest airport to Sacramento Executive Airport (SAC) is Sacramento Mather Airport (MHR), which is located only 11 miles (18 kilometers) ENE of SAC.
• A memorial was constructed at the crash site and dedicated in March 2003.