Nonstop flight route between Mackay, Queensland, Australia and St. Petersburg, Florida, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Mackay Airport (MKY), Mackay, Queensland, Australia and Albert Whitted Airport (SPG), St. Petersburg, Florida, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 9,170 miles (or 14,758 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 Albert Whitted 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 Mackay Airport and Albert Whitted 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 Mackay Airport (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.
• 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 1938, the airport held an airshow featuring ten aircraft, which attracted over 8,000 spectators.
• 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 is a thriving mining, agricultural, industrial and regional business centre that also supports a growing tourism industry and is a gateway to the Whitsunday coast and islands.
• Mackay Airport (MKY) has 2 runways.
• In the year 2008, the airport handled 837,416 passengers making it the 15th busiest airport in Australia.
• The closest airport to Mackay Airport (MKY) is Great Barrier Reef Airport (HTI), which is located 58 miles (94 kilometers) NNW of MKY.

Facts about Albert Whitted Airport (SPG):

• The furthest airport from Albert Whitted Airport (SPG) is Shark Bay Airport (MJK), which is located 11,430 miles (18,395 kilometers) away in Monkey Mia, Western Australia, Australia.
• Albert Whitted Airport (SPG) has 2 runways.
• The closest airport to Albert Whitted Airport (SPG) is MacDill Air Force Base (MCF), which is located only 9 miles (14 kilometers) NE of SPG.
• Based on the 2005 Airport Master Plan commissioned by the City of St.
• Because of Albert Whitted Airport's relatively low elevation of 7 feet, planes can take off or land at Albert Whitted 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.
• In addition to Coast Guard flight operations, during World War II, Albert Whitted Airport was converted to military use as a primary flight training base for student Naval Aviators for the U.S.
• National Airlines, one of the nation's first airlines, began service there in 1934.