Nonstop flight route between Ketchikan, Alaska, United States and Spangdahlem, Germany:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Ketchikan International Airport (KTN), Ketchikan, Alaska, United States and Spangdahlem Air Base (SPM), Spangdahlem, Germany would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,775 miles (or 7,685 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 Ketchikan International Airport and Spangdahlem Air Base, 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 Ketchikan International Airport and Spangdahlem Air Base. 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 Ketchikan International Airport (KTN):

• Because of Ketchikan International Airport's relatively low elevation of 89 feet, planes can take off or land at Ketchikan 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.
• There is no road access between Ketchikan and the airport.
• The closest airport to Ketchikan International Airport (KTN) is Ketchikan Harbor Seaplane Base (WFB), which is located only 2 miles (3 kilometers) ESE of KTN.
• The furthest airport from Ketchikan International Airport (KTN) is Port Alfred Airport (AFD), which is located 10,613 miles (17,081 kilometers) away in Port Alfred, South Africa.
• Ketchikan International Airport (KTN) has 2 runways.
• As per Federal Aviation Administration records, the airport had 108,837 passenger boardings in calendar year 2008, 96,996 enplanements in 2009, and 100,138 in 2010.
• Because the international airport is on a sparsely populated island separated from Ketchikan, a ferry connects the airport to the city.

Facts about Spangdahlem Air Base (SPM):

• The 49th received two Air Force Outstanding Unit Awards for F-105 operations at Spangdahlem.
• Upon its arrival at Spangdahlem AB, the 10 TRW operated Lockheed RF-80A Shooting Star for daylight aerial recon and the Douglas RB-26C Invader for night recon missions.
• The Air Mobility Command 726th Air Mobility Squadron at Spangdahlem supports cargo and passenger traffic as part of its airlift mission, providing command and control, maintenance and aerial port capability to all AMC aircraft transiting their ramp.
• The furthest airport from Spangdahlem Air Base (SPM) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is located 11,986 miles (19,289 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
• On 1 January 1969, the 36th Tactical Fighter Wing, located at nearby Bitburg Air Base, assumed operational control of Spangdahlem, becoming a dual-based wing.
• In addition to being known as "Spangdahlem Air Base", another name for SPM is "Spangdahlem AB".
• In 1957 the RB-57s and RF-84s were transferred to Chateauroux-Deols Air Depot and the 1st and 38th were re-equipped with the Douglas RB-66 Destroyer.
• The closest airport to Spangdahlem Air Base (SPM) is Bitburg Airport (BBJ), which is located only 6 miles (10 kilometers) WSW of SPM.