Nonstop flight route between Patuxent River, Maryland, United States and Tununak, Alaska, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Naval Air Station Patuxent River (NHK), Patuxent River, Maryland, United States and Tununak Airport (TNK), Tununak, Alaska, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 3,926 miles (or 6,318 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 Patuxent River and Tununak 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 Patuxent River and Tununak 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 Patuxent River (NHK):

• Naval Air Station Patuxent River (NHK) has 3 runways.
• In addition to being known as "Naval Air Station Patuxent River", other names for NHK include "Trapnell Field" and "KNHK - FAA: NHK".
• In addition to its role in testing naval aircraft, during the 1950s to 1970s Patuxent River served as an operational base for a Transport Squadron - VR-1, a TACAMO squadron - VQ-4, Airborne Training Unit Atlantic - AEWTULANT, and VW-11, VW-13 AN VW-15 and a number of Patrol Squadrons including VP-8, VP-44, VP-49, VP-24, VP-30 and VP-68.
• 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.
• Since the end of the Cold War, the Pentagon's Base Realignment and Closure measures have migrated research and testing facilities for both rotary and fixed-wing aircraft to NAS Patuxent River from decommissioned bases.
• 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.
• Cooperation with the British also led to transatlantic visits to PAX River by RAF squadrons.
• The base became a center for testing as several facilities were constructed throughout the 1950s and 1960s.

Facts about Tununak Airport (TNK):

• Tununak Airport (TNK) currently has only 1 runway.
• As per Federal Aviation Administration records, this airport had 1,809 commercial passenger boardings in calendar year 2008, a decrease of 9.6% from the 2,001 enplanements in 2007.
• The closest airport to Tununak Airport (TNK) is Toksook Bay Airport (OOK), which is located only 7 miles (11 kilometers) ESE of TNK.
• The furthest airport from Tununak Airport (TNK) is Cape Town International Airport (CPT), which is located 10,590 miles (17,043 kilometers) away in Cape Town, South Africa.
• In addition to being known as "Tununak Airport", another name for TNK is "4KA".
• Because of Tununak Airport's relatively low elevation of 14 feet, planes can take off or land at Tununak 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.
• Tununak Airport is a state-owned, public-use airport located one nautical mile southwest of the central business district of Tununak, in the Bethel Census Area of the U.S.