Nonstop flight route between Marietta, Georgia, United States and Canton Island, Kiribati:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Dobbins Air Reserve Base (MGE), Marietta, Georgia, United States and Canton Island Airport (CIS), Canton Island, Kiribati would travel a Great Circle distance of 6,164 miles (or 9,920 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 Dobbins Air Reserve Base and Canton Island Airport, 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 Dobbins Air Reserve Base and Canton Island Airport. 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 Dobbins Air Reserve Base (MGE):

• The closest airport to Dobbins Air Reserve Base (MGE) is Fulton County Airport (FTY), which is located only 9 miles (15 kilometers) S of MGE.
• Originally intended by Cobb County, Georgia as an alternative airfield for Atlanta's Candler Field, this airfield was constructed in 1941 as Rickenbacker Field.
• Marietta Army Airfield remained open after the war and became the home of Georgia Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve units.
• In addition to taking over Rickenbacker Field, the United States Army Air Forces purchased a parcel of land just north of the airfield for a cantonment area.
• In 1948, part of the land and barracks at the original Naval Air Station Atlanta in nearby Chamblee were given to the state for the purpose of creating an engineering technology school that could rapidly train returning soldiers for civilian work in various technical fields.
• In addition to being known as "Dobbins Air Reserve Base", another name for MGE is "Dobbins ARB".
• In September 2005, the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron Hurricane Hunter aircraft flew out of Dobbins JARB after Hurricane Katrina did major damage to their normal home at Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Mississippi.
• The furthest airport from Dobbins Air Reserve Base (MGE) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,314 miles (18,208 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
• Also in 1948 the airfield became Marietta Air Force Base as a result of the creation of the United States Air Force.

Facts about Canton Island Airport (CIS):

• The closest airport to Canton Island Airport (CIS) is Funafuti International Airport (FUN), which is located 741 miles (1,193 kilometers) WSW of CIS.
• Because of Canton Island Airport's relatively low elevation of 9 feet, planes can take off or land at Canton Island 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.
• Though Kanton Island was never physically invaded by Japanese forces, the airfield was bombarded on 1 November 1943 by the Japanese submarine I-36.
• The furthest airport from Canton Island Airport (CIS) is Malabo International Airport (SSG), which is nearly antipodal to Canton Island Airport (meaning Canton Island Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Malabo International Airport), and is located 12,363 miles (19,896 kilometers) away in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea.
• The Pan American pioneered central air route, Hawaii to the Philippines and Asia by way of stations at Midway, Wake and Guam passed through the Japanese controlled islands with serious concerns about its safety growing in 1941 even as the Army had reinforced the Philippines with a flight of B-17 bombers by way of Midway, Wake and Port Moresby in September.
• During World War II, Kanton Island was considered part of the British-controlled Gilbert and Ellice Islands colony.
• Canton Island Airport (CIS) currently has only 1 runway.