Nonstop flight route between Katowice / Pyrzowice, Poland and Spokane, Washington, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Katowice International Airport (KTW), Katowice / Pyrzowice, Poland and Fairchild Air Force Base (SKA), Spokane, Washington, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,188 miles (or 8,349 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 Katowice International Airport and Fairchild Air Force 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 Katowice International Airport and Fairchild Air Force 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 Katowice International Airport (KTW):

• The furthest airport from Katowice International Airport (KTW) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is located 11,576 miles (18,630 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
• Katowice International Airport (KTW) currently has only 1 runway.
• The airbase Pyrzowice was for the first time made available for passenger traffic on 6 October 1966, when the first plane of LOT Polish Airlines, taking off for Warsaw.
• In addition to being known as "Katowice International Airport", other names for KTW include "Międzynarodowy Port Lotniczy Katowice" and "Katowice".
• There is currently no passenger rail link to airport but building of a railway between Katowice and the airport is being planned.
• The closest airport to Katowice International Airport (KTW) is John Paul II International Airport Kraków–Balice (KRK), which is located 41 miles (67 kilometers) SE of KTW.
• Because of Katowice International Airport's relatively low elevation of 304 feet, planes can take off or land at Katowice 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.

Facts about Fairchild Air Force Base (SKA):

• The closest airport to Fairchild Air Force Base (SKA) is Spokane International Airport (GEG), which is located only 6 miles (9 kilometers) E of SKA.
• As military operations in Vietnam escalated in the mid-1960s, the demand for air refueling increased.
• In 1956 the wing began a conversion that brought the B-52 Stratofortress to Fairchild, followed by the KC-135 Stratotanker in 1958.
• The furthest airport from Fairchild Air Force Base (SKA) is Tôlanaro Airport (FTU), which is located 10,665 miles (17,163 kilometers) away in Tôlanaro, Madagascar.
• In addition to being known as "Fairchild Air Force Base", another name for SKA is "Fairchild AFB".
• 7 December 1993 marked the beginning of a significant change in the mission of Fairchild when the B-52s were transferred to another ACC base while the KC-135s, now assigned to the newly established Air Mobility Command would remain.
• In June 1992, with the inactivation of Strategic Air Command, the B-52 portion of the wing became part of the newly established Air Combat Command and was re-designated the 92d Bomb Wing.
• Fairchild is home to a wide variety of units and missions.
• On 23 January 1987, following the inactivation of the 47th Air Division at Fairchild, the 92nd Bombardment Wing was reassigned to the 57th Air Division at Minot AFB, North Dakota.