Nonstop flight route between Matadi, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Lompoc, California, United States:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from MAT to VBG:
Share this route:
Jump to:
- About this route
- MAT Airport Information
- VBG Airport Information
- Facts about MAT
- Facts about VBG
- Map of Nearest Airports to MAT
- List of Nearest Airports to MAT
- Map of Furthest Airports from MAT
- List of Furthest Airports from MAT
- Map of Nearest Airports to VBG
- List of Nearest Airports to VBG
- Map of Furthest Airports from VBG
- List of Furthest Airports from VBG
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Tshimpi Airport (Matadi Airport) (MAT), Matadi, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Vandenberg Air Force Base (VBG), Lompoc, California, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 8,894 miles (or 14,314 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 Tshimpi Airport (Matadi Airport) and Vandenberg 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 Tshimpi Airport (Matadi Airport) and Vandenberg Air Force Base. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | MAT / FZAM |
Airport Name: | Tshimpi Airport (Matadi Airport) |
Location: | Matadi, Democratic Republic of the Congo |
GPS Coordinates: | 5°47'53"S by 13°26'30"E |
Elevation: | 0 feet (0 meters) |
View all routes: | Routes from MAT |
More Information: | MAT Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | VBG / KVBG |
Airport Names: |
|
Location: | Lompoc, California, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 34°43'57"N by 120°34'5"W |
View all routes: | Routes from VBG |
More Information: | VBG Maps & Info |
Facts about Tshimpi Airport (Matadi Airport) (MAT):
- Because of Tshimpi Airport (Matadi Airport)'s relatively low elevation of 0 feet, planes can take off or land at Tshimpi Airport (Matadi 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.
- The furthest airport from Tshimpi Airport (Matadi Airport) (MAT) is Cassidy International Airport (CXI), which is located 11,750 miles (18,909 kilometers) away in Christmas Island, Kiribati.
- The closest airport to Tshimpi Airport (Matadi Airport) (MAT) is Boma Airport (BOA), which is located 26 miles (42 kilometers) W of MAT.
Facts about Vandenberg Air Force Base (VBG):
- The closest airport to Vandenberg Air Force Base (VBG) is Lompoc Airport (LPC), which is located only 7 miles (12 kilometers) SE of VBG.
- The furthest airport from Vandenberg Air Force Base (VBG) is Pierrefonds Airport (ZSE), which is located 11,479 miles (18,473 kilometers) away in Saint-Pierre, Réunion.
- 1st Air and Space Test Squadron
- A maximum security army disciplinary barracks was constructed on post property in 1946.
- Vandenberg AFB is a Department of Defense space and missile testing base, with a mission of placing satellites into polar orbit from the West Coast, using expendable boosters.
- In 1941 the United States Army sought more and better training centers for the rapid development of its armored and infantry forces.
- 4th Space Launch Squadron
- In addition to being known as "Vandenberg Air Force Base", another name for VBG is "Vandenberg AFB".