Nonstop flight route between Patuxent River, Maryland, United States and Aurora, Illinois, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Naval Air Station Patuxent River (NHK), Patuxent River, Maryland, United States and Chicago/Aurora Municipal Airport (AUZ), Aurora, Illinois, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 681 miles (or 1,097 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 relatively short distance between Naval Air Station Patuxent River and Chicago/Aurora Municipal Airport, the route shown on this map most likely still appears to be a straight line.

Departure Airport Information:

Arrival Airport Information:

Facts about Naval Air Station Patuxent River (NHK):

• A lack of transportation in Saint Mary's County led the Navy to acquire and revitalize a branchline called theWashington, Brandywine and Point Lookout Railroad from Brandywine to Mechanicsville, Maryland in June 1942 and build an extension south from Mechanicsville to the air station.
• In 1937, the Navy's Bureau of Aeronautics sought to consolidate aviation test programs, previously being conducted at several stations, including Dahlgren and Norfolk, the Washington Navy Yard, Naval Air Station Anacostia in Washington, D.C., and the Naval Aircraft Factory in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
• Naval Air Station Patuxent River (NHK) has 3 runways.
• The furthest airport from Naval Air Station Patuxent River (NHK) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,728 miles (18,874 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
• Because of Naval Air Station Patuxent River's relatively low elevation of 39 feet, planes can take off or land at Naval Air Station Patuxent River 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 onset of American involvement in World War II spurred establishment of the new air station.Rear Admiral John Henry Towers, Chief of Bureau of Aeronautics, requested approval and authorization to begin construction on December 22, 1941.
• Cooperation with the British also led to transatlantic visits to PAX River by RAF squadrons.
• The closest airport to Naval Air Station Patuxent River (NHK) is St. Mary's County Regional Airport (LTW), which is located only 8 miles (12 kilometers) WNW of NHK.
• In addition to being known as "Naval Air Station Patuxent River", other names for NHK include "Trapnell Field" and "KNHK - FAA: NHK".
• Employing some 7,000 at its peak of construction, the area had a Gold Rush "boom town" feel as local residents were joined by workers from all over the country, eager to get on the high-paying jobs on station.
• Commissioned on April 1, 1943 on land largely acquired through eminent domain, the air station grew rapidly in response to World War II and continued to evolve through the Cold War to the present.

Facts about Chicago/Aurora Municipal Airport (AUZ):

• The furthest airport from Chicago/Aurora Municipal Airport (AUZ) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,047 miles (17,778 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
• Current project planning calls for a parallel grass runway during fiscal years 2010-2012.
• Chicago/Aurora Municipal Airport (AUZ) has 3 runways.
• Because of Chicago/Aurora Municipal Airport's relatively low elevation of 712 feet, planes can take off or land at Chicago/Aurora Municipal 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 being known as "Chicago/Aurora Municipal Airport", another name for AUZ is "ARR".
• On June 13, 2011, the aircraft Liberty Belle, a B-17 Flying Fortress crashed in Oswego, Illinois after taking off from Aurora.
• The closest airport to Chicago/Aurora Municipal Airport (AUZ) is DuPage Airport (DPA), which is located only 15 miles (24 kilometers) NE of AUZ.