Nonstop flight route between Honolulu, Hawaii, United States and Tacoma, Washington, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Honolulu International Airport (HNL), Honolulu, Hawaii, United States and Gray Army Airfield (GRF), Tacoma, Washington, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 2,653 miles (or 4,270 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 Honolulu International 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 Honolulu International 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:

Arrival Airport Information:

Facts about Honolulu International Airport (HNL):

• John Rodgers Airport was renamed Honolulu Airport in 1947.
• Because of Honolulu International Airport's relatively low elevation of 13 feet, planes can take off or land at Honolulu International 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.
• By 2012 Hawaiian Airlines was re-establishing Honolulu Airport as a connecting hub between the United States mainland and the Asia-Pacific region.
• Honolulu International Airport (HNL) has 6 runways.
• HNL opened in March 1927 as John Rodgers Airport, named after World War I naval officer John Rodgers.
• The closest airport to Honolulu International Airport (HNL) is Hickam Field (HIK), which is located only 0 mile (0 kilometer) N of HNL.
• The furthest airport from Honolulu International Airport (HNL) is Ghanzi Airport (GNZ), which is nearly antipodal to Honolulu International Airport (meaning Honolulu International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Ghanzi Airport), and is located 12,399 miles (19,955 kilometers) away in Ghanzi, Botswana.
• Pan Am used Honolulu as a transpacific hub for many years, initially as a connecting point between the West Coast and Polynesia in 1946, followed by service to East Asia through Midway Island and Wake Island from 1947.

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 furthest airport from Gray Army Airfield (GRF) is Tôlanaro Airport (FTU), which is located 10,809 miles (17,395 kilometers) away in Tôlanaro, Madagascar.
• The 91st Observation Squadron and aircraft of the 3rd Balloon Squadron operated out of the Fort Lewis airfield.
• 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.
• 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 Washington National Guard 66th Aviation Brigade trains at Grey AAF and provides transportation support for fighting wildfires.
• World War II cantonment construction involved the demolition of some of the pre-1941 buildings.
• Reactivated following service in Vietnam, the 9th Infantry Division aviation units occupied GAAF in 1972.
• Gray Army Airfield (GRF) currently has only 1 runway.
• Since 2005 the field has been experiencing another major expansion.
• Used to support Fort Lewis, Army helicopters assisted with medical evacuations at Mount Rainier National Park on numerous occasions in the 1970s.