Nonstop flight route between Düne, Helgoland, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany and Tacoma, Washington, United States:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from HGL to GRF:
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- About this route
- HGL Airport Information
- GRF Airport Information
- Facts about HGL
- Facts about GRF
- Map of Nearest Airports to HGL
- List of Nearest Airports to HGL
- Map of Furthest Airports from HGL
- List of Furthest Airports from HGL
- Map of Nearest Airports to GRF
- List of Nearest Airports to GRF
- Map of Furthest Airports from GRF
- List of Furthest Airports from GRF
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Heligoland Airport (HGL), Düne, Helgoland, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany and Gray Army Airfield (GRF), Tacoma, Washington, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,866 miles (or 7,831 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 Heligoland Airport and Gray Army Airfield, 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 Heligoland Airport and Gray Army Airfield. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | HGL / EDXH |
Airport Names: |
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Location: | Düne, Helgoland, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany |
GPS Coordinates: | 54°11'8"N by 7°54'51"E |
Area Served: | Heligoland, Germany |
Operator/Owner: | Helgoland AirService GmbH |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 7 feet (2 meters) |
# of Runways: | 3 |
View all routes: | Routes from HGL |
More Information: | HGL Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | GRF / KGRF |
Airport Names: |
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Location: | Tacoma, Washington, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 47°4'45"N by 122°34'50"W |
Operator/Owner: | U.S. Army ATCA-ASO |
Airport Type: | Military |
Elevation: | 300 feet (91 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from GRF |
More Information: | GRF Maps & Info |
Facts about Heligoland Airport (HGL):
- A ferryboat service connects Düne to the Heligoland main island.
- Heligoland Airport (HGL) has 3 runways.
- The first military airfield on Düne existed during World War II when Heligoland had been fortified.
- In addition to being known as "Heligoland Airport", another name for HGL is "Flughafen Helgoland-Düne".
- The closest airport to Heligoland Airport (HGL) is Wangerooge Airport (AGE), which is located 28 miles (45 kilometers) S of HGL.
- The furthest airport from Heligoland Airport (HGL) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is located 11,693 miles (18,819 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
- Because of Heligoland Airport's relatively low elevation of 7 feet, planes can take off or land at Heligoland 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.
Facts about Gray Army Airfield (GRF):
- The field is named in honor of Captain Lawrence C.
- Gray Army Airfield (GRF) currently has only 1 runway.
- The 9th Cavalry Brigade in the 1980s developed air-assault strategies with their AH-1 Cobra helicopters based upon experiences learned in Vietnam.
- 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.
- 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.
- World War II cantonment construction involved the demolition of some of the pre-1941 buildings.
- In addition to being known as "Gray Army Airfield", another name for GRF is "(Joint Base Lewis-McChord)".
- 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.