Nonstop flight route between Kericho, Kenya and Tacoma, Washington, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Kericho Airport (KEY), Kericho, Kenya and McChord Field/McChord AFB (TCM), Tacoma, Washington, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 8,939 miles (or 14,386 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 Kericho Airport and McChord Field/McChord AFB, 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 Kericho Airport and McChord Field/McChord AFB. 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 Kericho Airport (KEY):

• The furthest airport from Kericho Airport (KEY) is Atuona Airport (AUQ), which is located 11,632 miles (18,719 kilometers) away in Atuona, Marquesas Islands, French Polynesia.
• The closest airport to Kericho Airport (KEY) is Kisumu International Airport (KIS), which is located 41 miles (66 kilometers) WNW of KEY.
• Because of Kericho Airport's high elevation of 7,165 feet, planes must typically fly at a faster airspeed in order to takeoff or land at KEY. Combined with a high temperature, this could make KEY a "Hot & High" airport, where the air density is lower than it would otherwise be at sea level.
• Kericho Airport is located in Kericho District, Rift Valley Province, in the town of Kericho, in the southwestern part of Kenya on the map.
• Its location is approximately 206 kilometres, by air, northwest of Nairobi International Airport, the country’s largest civilian airport.

Facts about McChord Field/McChord AFB (TCM):

• The 62d Operations Group flies the C-17 Globemaster III transport from McChord Field.
• Following the end of the war in Europe, McChord redeployed thousands of troops arriving from the European theater to the Pacific as part of Air Transport Command.
• In 1940 McChord Field became the headquarters of the GHQ Air Force Northwest Air District, with a mission for the defense of the Pacific Northwest and Upper Great Plains regions of the United States.
• The furthest airport from McChord Field/McChord AFB (TCM) is Tôlanaro Airport (FTU), which is located 10,803 miles (17,386 kilometers) away in Tôlanaro, Madagascar.
• Part of Air Mobility Command
• The McChord Air Museum features exhibits about McChord Field and a collection of restored military aircraft.
• McChord Field/McChord AFB (TCM) has 2 runways.
• Because of McChord Field/McChord AFB's relatively low elevation of 322 feet, planes can take off or land at McChord Field/McChord AFB 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 McChord Field/McChord AFB (TCM) is Gray Army Airfield (GRF), which is located only 6 miles (10 kilometers) SW of TCM.
• Following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941, the 17th Bombardment Group flew anti-submarine patrols off the west coast of the United States with the new North American B-25 Mitchell medium bomber.
• In addition to being known as "McChord Field/McChord AFB", another name for TCM is "Part of Air Mobility Command (AMC)".
• Today, the successor organization to the 25th AD, the Western Air Defense Sector, is a major tenant organization at McChord, being one of two air defense sectors responsible for the security and integrity of continental United States air space.
• The McChord Air Force Base facility was consolidated with the United States Army Fort Lewis on 1 February 2010 to become part of the Joint Base Lewis-McChord complex.