Nonstop flight route between Fallon, Nevada, United States and Shirahama, Japan:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Naval Air Station Fallon (NFL), Fallon, Nevada, United States and Nanki-Shirahama Airport (SHM), Shirahama, Japan would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,520 miles (or 8,883 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 Naval Air Station Fallon and Nanki-Shirahama 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 Naval Air Station Fallon and Nanki-Shirahama 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 Naval Air Station Fallon (NFL):

• The Navy relocated its Navy Fighter Weapons School, or TOPGUN, from NAS Miramar to NAS Fallon in 1996, following the transfer of NAS Miramar to the Marine Corps and its redesignation as MCAS Miramar.
• Naval Air Station Fallon or NAS Fallon is the United States Navy's premier air-to-air and air-to-ground training facility.
• The airfield at NAS Fallon was originally built in 1942 as part of a defensive network to repel a feared Japanese invasion of the west coast.
• In addition to being known as "Naval Air Station Fallon", another name for NFL is "Van Voorhis Field".
• Over the years, the equipment at the station was upgraded or modified to improve the efficiency and accuracy of the information gathered by the radars.
• The airfield is named Van Voorhis Field in honor of Lieutenant Bruce Van Voorhis who was awarded a posthumous Medal of Honor.
• Associated bombing ranges checker the surrounding Lahontan Valley and Dixie Valley, which is the next valley to the east.
• Naval Air Station Fallon (NFL) has 3 runways.
• The furthest airport from Naval Air Station Fallon (NFL) is Tôlanaro Airport (FTU), which is located 11,140 miles (17,928 kilometers) away in Tôlanaro, Madagascar.
• The closest airport to Naval Air Station Fallon (NFL) is Fallon Municipal Airport (FLX), which is located only 6 miles (9 kilometers) NNW of NFL.

Facts about Nanki-Shirahama Airport (SHM):

• Nanki-Shirahama Airport (SHM) currently has only 1 runway.
• The furthest airport from Nanki-Shirahama Airport (SHM) is Diomício Freitas/Forquilhinha Airport (CCM), which is located 11,994 miles (19,302 kilometers) away in Criciúma, Santa Catarina, Brazil.
• In addition to being known as "Nanki-Shirahama Airport", other names for SHM include "南紀白浜空港" and "Nanki Shirahama Kūkō".
• The closest airport to Nanki-Shirahama Airport (SHM) is Kansai International Airport (KIX), which is located 54 miles (87 kilometers) N of SHM.
• Because of Nanki-Shirahama Airport's relatively low elevation of 293 feet, planes can take off or land at Nanki-Shirahama 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.