Nonstop flight route between Lae Atoll, Marshall Islands and Spokane, Washington, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Lae Airport (LML), Lae Atoll, Marshall Islands and Fairchild Air Force Base (SKA), Spokane, Washington, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,116 miles (or 8,234 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 Lae 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 Lae 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 Lae Airport (LML):

• The furthest airport from Lae Airport (LML) is RAF Ascension (ASI), which is nearly antipodal to Lae Airport (meaning Lae Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from RAF Ascension), and is located 12,357 miles (19,887 kilometers) away in Georgetown, Ascension Island, Saint Helena.
• The closest airport to Lae Airport (LML) is Ujae Airport (UJE), which is located 34 miles (55 kilometers) W of LML.

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.
• The host unit at Fairchild is the 92d Air Refueling Wing assigned to the Air Mobility Command's Eighteenth Air Force.
• As military operations in Vietnam escalated in the mid-1960s, the demand for air refueling increased.
• Following Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait in August 1990, a total of 560 base personnel deployed to Desert Shield and Desert Storm from August 1990 to March 1991.
• 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.
• On 1 September 1991, under Air Force reorganization, the 92d Bombardment Wing was re-designated the 92d Wing, emphasizing a dual bombing and refueling role.
• Fairchild AFB is named in honor of General Muir S.
• 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 addition to being known as "Fairchild Air Force Base", another name for SKA is "Fairchild AFB".