Nonstop flight route between Willmar, Minnesota, United States and Misawa, Aomori, Japan:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Willmar Municipal Airport (ILL), Willmar, Minnesota, United States and Misawa Air Base 三沢飛行場 Misawa Hikōjō (MSJ), Misawa, Aomori, Japan would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,555 miles (or 8,939 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 Willmar Municipal Airport and Misawa Air Base 三沢飛行場 Misawa Hikōjō, 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 Willmar Municipal Airport and Misawa Air Base 三沢飛行場 Misawa Hikōjō. 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 Willmar Municipal Airport (ILL):

• In addition to being known as "Willmar Municipal Airport", other names for ILL include "John L. Rice Field", "KBDH" and "BDH".
• The closest airport to Willmar Municipal Airport (ILL) is Benson Municipal Airport (BBB), which is located 29 miles (47 kilometers) WNW of ILL.
• The furthest airport from Willmar Municipal Airport (ILL) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 10,664 miles (17,162 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
• Willmar Municipal Airport (ILL) has 2 runways.

Facts about Misawa Air Base 三沢飛行場 Misawa Hikōjō (MSJ):

• Between May and August 1953, the 12th Strategic Fighter Wing pulled a rotational TDY at Misawa relieving the 27th and being relieved in turn by the 31st Strategic Fighter Wing.
• What is now called Misawa Air Base has been used by the military since the Meiji period, when it was used as a cavalry training center for the Imperial Army.
• At Misawa, the 49th was replaced by the 6163d Air Base Wing to perform host and occupation duties.
• The 31st Air Division was inactivated on January 15, 1968, and was replaced at Misawa by the 475th Air Base Wing.
• The 49th Fighter-Bomber Wing was relieved from its duties in South Korea on November 7, 1953 and resumed its host duties at the base.
• The furthest airport from Misawa Air Base 三沢飛行場 Misawa Hikōjō (MSJ) is Rio Grande Regional Airport (RIG), which is located 11,479 miles (18,473 kilometers) away in Rio Grande, Brazil.
• In addition to being known as "Misawa Air Base 三沢飛行場 Misawa Hikōjō", another name for MSJ is "Misawa AB".
• In 1870, the Japanese Emperor established a stud farm for the household cavalry in the area that later became Misawa AB, and kept his own cavalry there until 1931, when the Sino-Japanese conflict required their use in China.
• After the immediate postwar reconstruction of facilities, the first permanent USAAF tenant was the 613th Air Control and Warning Squadron, taking up residence on July 15, 1946 and providing air traffic control in the Misawa area for the next decade.
• The closest airport to Misawa Air Base 三沢飛行場 Misawa Hikōjō (MSJ) is JMSDF Hachinohe Air Base (HHE), which is located only 12 miles (19 kilometers) SSE of MSJ.
• Both squadrons fly the Block 50 F-16C/D "Wild Weasels", and use the tail code of "WW" was carried.