Nonstop flight route between Mackay, Queensland, Australia and Pensacola, Florida, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Mackay Airport (MKY), Mackay, Queensland, Australia and NOLF Saufley Field (NUN), Pensacola, Florida, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 8,899 miles (or 14,321 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 Mackay Airport and NOLF Saufley Field, 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 Mackay Airport and NOLF Saufley Field. 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 Mackay Airport (MKY):

• The closest airport to Mackay Airport (MKY) is Great Barrier Reef Airport (HTI), which is located 58 miles (94 kilometers) NNW of MKY.
• Moves to establish an airport at Mackay began in 1927, when Captain Ron Adair selected the site of the town commons for the construction of an aerodrome, and landed the first plane in Mackay there, his own Avro biplane.
• Because of Mackay Airport's relatively low elevation of 19 feet, planes can take off or land at Mackay 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 Mackay Airport (MKY) is Agostinho Neto Airport (NTO), which is located 11,973 miles (19,269 kilometers) away in Ponta do Sol, Santo Antão, Cape Verde.
• Mackay Airport handled 1,049,172 passengers last year.
• In November 2008, Mackay Airport was sold to a private consortium to fund the development of Mackay Hospital.
• In January 2010, Auckland International Airport Limited, announced plans to purchase almost 25 per cent of North Queensland Airports, operator of the airports at Cairns and Mackay, for about $167 million.
• Mackay Airport (MKY) has 2 runways.

Facts about NOLF Saufley Field (NUN):

• NOLF Saufley Field (NUN) has 2 runways.
• The furthest airport from NOLF Saufley Field (NUN) is Cocos (Keeling) Island Airport (CCK), which is located 11,146 miles (17,937 kilometers) away in Cocos Islands, Australia.
• In its concurrent role as NOLF Saufley Field, the installation currently operates two active uncontrolled 4000 foot runways in support of Naval Aviator and Naval Flight Officer training by Training Air Wings FIVE and SIX using T-6A Texan II, T-34C Turbomentor and TH-57B/C Sea Ranger aircraft.
• In 1979, Saufley Field was redesignated as both OLF Saufley Field and Naval Education and Training Program Development Center Saufley Field following the latter activity's relocation from the nearby NETPDC Ellyson Field, Florida.
• Because of NOLF Saufley Field's relatively low elevation of 85 feet, planes can take off or land at NOLF Saufley Field 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 closest airport to NOLF Saufley Field (NUN) is Naval Air Station PensacolaForrest Sherman Field (NPA), which is located only 8 miles (13 kilometers) SSE of NUN.