Nonstop flight route between Medellín, Colombia and Tacoma, Washington, United States:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from MDE to GRF:
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- About this route
- MDE Airport Information
- GRF Airport Information
- Facts about MDE
- Facts about GRF
- Map of Nearest Airports to MDE
- List of Nearest Airports to MDE
- Map of Furthest Airports from MDE
- List of Furthest Airports from MDE
- Map of Nearest Airports to GRF
- List of Nearest Airports to GRF
- Map of Furthest Airports from GRF
- List of Furthest Airports from GRF
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between José María Córdova International Airport (MDE), Medellín, Colombia and Gray Army Airfield (GRF), Tacoma, Washington, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 3,964 miles (or 6,380 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 José María Córdova International Airport and Gray Army Airfield, 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 José María Córdova International Airport and Gray Army Airfield. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure Airport Information:
| IATA / ICAO Codes: | MDE / SKRG |
| Airport Names: |
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| Location: | Medellín, Colombia |
| GPS Coordinates: | 6°10'1"N by 75°25'36"W |
| Area Served: | Medellin/Rionegro |
| Operator/Owner: | AirPlan |
| Airport Type: | Commercial |
| Elevation: | 7027 feet (2,142 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 1 |
| View all routes: | Routes from MDE |
| More Information: | MDE Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
| IATA / ICAO Codes: | GRF / KGRF |
| Airport Names: |
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| Location: | Tacoma, Washington, United States |
| GPS Coordinates: | 47°4'45"N by 122°34'50"W |
| Operator/Owner: | U.S. Army ATCA-ASO |
| Airport Type: | Military |
| Elevation: | 300 feet (91 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 1 |
| View all routes: | Routes from GRF |
| More Information: | GRF Maps & Info |
Facts about José María Córdova International Airport (MDE):
- The closest airport to José María Córdova International Airport (MDE) is Olaya Herrera Airport (EOH), which is located only 12 miles (19 kilometers) WNW of MDE.
- José María Córdova International Airport (MDE) currently has only 1 runway.
- In addition to being known as "José María Córdova International Airport", another name for MDE is "Aeropuerto Internacional José María Córdova".
- The airport serves all major international and domestic routes in contrast to Olaya Herrera Airport which serves the Medellín area with regional flights and airlines.
- Currently in the terminal operates 25 destinations in total divided into 11 international and 12 domestic destinations regularly.
- The José María Córdova International Airport is the second in Colombia in total passenger and cargo also international, national and international after the El Dorado International Airport in Bogota.
- Because of José María Córdova International Airport's high elevation of 7,027 feet, planes must typically fly at a faster airspeed in order to takeoff or land at MDE. Combined with a high temperature, this could make MDE a "Hot & High" airport, where the air density is lower than it would otherwise be at sea level.
- José María Córdova International Airport is the second largest airport in Colombia after the El Dorado International Airport of Bogotá in terms of infrastructure and passenger service.
- It's the most important airport in the department of Antioquia, and it´s also the main hub for low cost airline Viva Colombia.
- Between 1930 and 1932, three wealthy families in the metropolitan area of Medellin, began with the idea of providing the city with an airport, as they were part of the Colombian Air Navigation Company which sought to carry passengers and mail from the city of Medellin to Puerto Berrio, then along the Magdalena River and ultimately connect the cities of Medellin and Bogotá.
- The furthest airport from José María Córdova International Airport (MDE) is Radin Inten II Airport (RIA II) (TKG), which is nearly antipodal to José María Córdova International Airport (meaning José María Córdova International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Radin Inten II Airport (RIA II)), and is located 12,361 miles (19,892 kilometers) away in Bandar Lampung, Sumatra, Indonesia.
- It was opened in 1985.
Facts about Gray Army Airfield (GRF):
- The furthest airport from Gray Army Airfield (GRF) is Tôlanaro Airport (FTU), which is located 10,809 miles (17,395 kilometers) away in Tôlanaro, Madagascar.
- The Fort Lewis airfield housed observation planes.
- During the Korean War, GAAF continued in the role as a training and division support field.
- In addition to being known as "Gray Army Airfield", another name for GRF is "(Joint Base Lewis-McChord)".
- Because of Gray Army Airfield's relatively low elevation of 300 feet, planes can take off or land at Gray Army Airfield 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.
- Gray Army Airfield, also known as Gray AAF, is a military airfield located within Joint Base Lewis-McChord near Tacoma, in Pierce County, Washington, United States.
- Camp Lewis advocates pushed for it to be a major dirigible and fixed-wing field.
- Used to support Fort Lewis, Army helicopters assisted with medical evacuations at Mount Rainier National Park on numerous occasions in the 1970s.
- The closest airport to Gray Army Airfield (GRF) is McChord Field/McChord AFB (TCM), which is located only 6 miles (10 kilometers) NE of GRF.
- The Air Transport Command.
- The 9th Cavalry Brigade in the 1980s developed air-assault strategies with their AH-1 Cobra helicopters based upon experiences learned in Vietnam.
- Gray Army Airfield (GRF) currently has only 1 runway.
