Nonstop flight route between Kocaeli, Turkey and Okinawa Prefecture, Japan:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Cengiz Topel Airport Cengiz Topel Havalimanı (KCO), Kocaeli, Turkey and Kadena Air Base 嘉手納飛行場 Kadena Hikōjō (DNA), Okinawa Prefecture, Japan would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,426 miles (or 8,732 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 Cengiz Topel Airport Cengiz Topel Havalimanı and Kadena Air Base 嘉手納飛行場 Kadena 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 Cengiz Topel Airport Cengiz Topel Havalimanı and Kadena Air Base 嘉手納飛行場 Kadena 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 Cengiz Topel Airport Cengiz Topel Havalimanı (KCO):

• The facility, formerly a base of the Turkish Air Force, is named after the Air Force fighter pilot Capt.
• The closest airport to Cengiz Topel Airport Cengiz Topel Havalimanı (KCO) is İstanbul Sabiha Gökçen International Airport (SAW), which is located 42 miles (68 kilometers) WNW of KCO.
• The base, in joint use since 1973 by the air force and the navy, was transferred to the Turkish Navy Command on July 14, 1976 following the order of the Turkish General Staff.
• Cengiz Topel Airport Cengiz Topel Havalimanı (KCO) currently has only 1 runway.
• Because of Cengiz Topel Airport Cengiz Topel Havalimanı's relatively low elevation of 182 feet, planes can take off or land at Cengiz Topel Airport Cengiz Topel Havalimanı 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 furthest airport from Cengiz Topel Airport Cengiz Topel Havalimanı (KCO) is Rurutu Airport (RUR), which is located 11,169 miles (17,975 kilometers) away in Rurutu, French Polynesia.
• The base was assigned to NATO on October 28, 1981.
• In addition to being known as "Cengiz Topel Airport Cengiz Topel Havalimanı", another name for KCO is "KCO[1]".
• Cengiz Topel Naval Air Station, aka Topel Airport or formerly Cengiz Topel Air Base, is a Turkish Navy air station located east of İzmit in Kocaeli Province, Turkey.

Facts about Kadena Air Base 嘉手納飛行場 Kadena Hikōjō (DNA):

• The 18th Fighter-Bomber Wing was reassigned to Kadena from Osan-ni AB, South Korea on 1 November 1954, flying three squadrons of North American F-86 Sabres.
• The McDonnell Douglas RF-4C Phantom II replaced the RF-101 in the reconnaissance role in 1967.
• In addition to being known as "Kadena Air Base 嘉手納飛行場 Kadena Hikōjō", another name for DNA is "Kadena AFB".
• The closest airport to Kadena Air Base 嘉手納飛行場 Kadena Hikōjō (DNA) is Naha Airport (OKA), which is located only 13 miles (21 kilometers) SW of DNA.
• Beginning in 1961, the 18th was sending its tactical squadrons frequently to South Vietnam and Thailand, initially with its RF-101 reconnaissance forces, and beginning in 1964 with its tactical fighter forces supporting USAF combat missions in the Vietnam War.
• Kadena Air Base, is a United States Air Force base in the towns of Kadena and Chatan and the city of Okinawa, in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan.
• Twentieth Air Force was inactivated in March 1955.
• The furthest airport from Kadena Air Base 嘉手納飛行場 Kadena Hikōjō (DNA) is Paulo Abdala Airport (FBE), which is nearly antipodal to Kadena Air Base 嘉手納飛行場 Kadena Hikōjō (meaning Kadena Air Base 嘉手納飛行場 Kadena Hikōjō is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Paulo Abdala Airport), and is located 12,381 miles (19,926 kilometers) away in Francisco Beltrao, Paraná, Brazil.
• On 30 June 1959 an F-100 from the wing crashed on Okinawa during a training flight after suffering an engine fire.
• Kadena airfield was initially under the control of Seventh Air Force, however on 16 July 1945, Headquarters Eighth Air Force was transferred, without personnel, equipment, or combat elements to the town of Sakugawa, near Kadena from RAF High Wycombe England.