Nonstop flight route between Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, United States and Nukutavake, Tuamotus, French Polynesia:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Kincheloe Air Force Base (INR), Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, United States and Nukutavake Airport (NUK), Nukutavake, Tuamotus, French Polynesia would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,653 miles (or 9,098 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 Kincheloe Air Force Base and Nukutavake 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 Kincheloe Air Force Base and Nukutavake 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 Kincheloe Air Force Base (INR):

• On 16 February 1953, the first operational ADC unit, the 534th Air Defense Group was activated at Kinross AFB.
• Portions of the base had already been transferred to local authorities, and following the deactivation all the remaining property was transferred, although the federal government reserved the right to have exclusive or non-exclusive use of the airport facilities during a declared national emergency.
• The closest airport to Kincheloe Air Force Base (INR) is Chippewa County International Airport (CIU), which is located only 0 mile (0 kilometer) N of INR.
• In September 1959, Kinross AFB was officially renamed Kincheloe Air Force Base in honor of the late Captain Iven Kincheloe, a native of Cassopolis in southwestern Michigan.
• In October, 1952, the 4685th Air Base Squadron was assigned to the reactivated Kinross AFB.
• After the war, the airfield then served as a hub for private and commercial aviation.
• The furthest airport from Kincheloe Air Force Base (INR) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,103 miles (17,869 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
• Kinross was considered a vital Air Defense Command base, an alert-status military base equipped with interceptors ready 24/7 to respond to unknown aircraft picked up by Ground Control Radar stations in the Great Lakes region.
• In November, 1961, following two years of construction, the 4239th Strategic Wing of the Strategic Air Command arrived with B-52 bombers.

Facts about Nukutavake Airport (NUK):

• The furthest airport from Nukutavake Airport (NUK) is Al-Baha Domestic Airport (ABT), which is nearly antipodal to Nukutavake Airport (meaning Nukutavake Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Al-Baha Domestic Airport), and is located 12,362 miles (19,895 kilometers) away in Al-Baha, Saudi Arabia.
• Nukutavake Airport (NUK) currently has only 1 runway.
• The closest airport to Nukutavake Airport (NUK) is Tureira Airport (ZTA), which is located 104 miles (167 kilometers) S of NUK.
• In addition to being known as "Nukutavake Airport", another name for NUK is "Aérodrome de Nukutavake".