Nonstop flight route between Patuxent River, Maryland, United States and Vieques, Puerto Rico, United States:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from NHK to VQS:
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- About this route
- NHK Airport Information
- VQS Airport Information
- Facts about NHK
- Facts about VQS
- Map of Nearest Airports to NHK
- List of Nearest Airports to NHK
- Map of Furthest Airports from NHK
- List of Furthest Airports from NHK
- Map of Nearest Airports to VQS
- List of Nearest Airports to VQS
- Map of Furthest Airports from VQS
- List of Furthest Airports from VQS
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Naval Air Station Patuxent River (NHK), Patuxent River, Maryland, United States and Antonio Rivera Rodríguez Airport (VQS), Vieques, Puerto Rico, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 1,540 miles (or 2,478 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 Antonio Rivera Rodríguez Airport, the route shown on this map most likely still appears to be a straight line.
Departure Airport Information:
| IATA / ICAO Codes: | NHK / KNHK |
| Airport Names: |
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| Location: | Patuxent River, Maryland, United States |
| GPS Coordinates: | 38°17'9"N by 76°24'42"W |
| Operator/Owner: | United States Navy |
| Airport Type: | Naval Air Station |
| Elevation: | 39 feet (12 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 3 |
| View all routes: | Routes from NHK |
| More Information: | NHK Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
| IATA / ICAO Codes: | VQS / TJVQ |
| Airport Name: | Antonio Rivera Rodríguez Airport |
| Location: | Vieques, Puerto Rico, United States |
| GPS Coordinates: | 18°8'4"N by 65°29'36"W |
| Area Served: | Isla De Vieques, Puerto Rico |
| Operator/Owner: | Puerto Rico Ports Authority |
| Airport Type: | Public |
| Elevation: | 49 feet (15 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 1 |
| View all routes: | Routes from VQS |
| More Information: | VQS Maps & Info |
Facts about Naval Air Station Patuxent River (NHK):
- Research and development at NAS Patuxent River forged ahead in the 1970s.
- 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.
- A duel of sorts between two of Maryland's top Democrats, U.S.
- 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.
- 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.
- In addition to being known as "Naval Air Station Patuxent River", other names for NHK include "Trapnell Field" and "KNHK - FAA: NHK".
- 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.
- Naval Air Station Patuxent River (NHK) has 3 runways.
- A highway extension to the new air station was required by the project—250,000 tons of material were transported by either truck or water routes during a year of construction.
- It is home to Headquarters, Naval Air Systems Command, the U.S.
- On 1 April 1976, Patuxent River's air field was named after pioneering aviator VADM Frederick M.
- 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.
- 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.
- By 1965, reconnaissance Squadron VQ-4, based at NAS Patuxent River, began using Lockheed C-130s equipped with special communications equipment to perform their around-the-clock Take Charge and Move Out mission.
- 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.
Facts about Antonio Rivera Rodríguez Airport (VQS):
- Antonio Rivera Rodríguez Airport (VQS) currently has only 1 runway.
- The closest airport to Antonio Rivera Rodríguez Airport (VQS) is Diego Jiménez Torres Airport (FAJ), which is located only 16 miles (26 kilometers) NW of VQS.
- Antonio Rivera Rodríguez Airport handled 165,043 passengers last year.
- The furthest airport from Antonio Rivera Rodríguez Airport (VQS) is Barrow Island Airport (BWB), which is nearly antipodal to Antonio Rivera Rodríguez Airport (meaning Antonio Rivera Rodríguez Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Barrow Island Airport), and is located 12,239 miles (19,697 kilometers) away in Barrow Island, Western Australia, Australia.
- Because of Antonio Rivera Rodríguez Airport's relatively low elevation of 49 feet, planes can take off or land at Antonio Rivera Rodríguez 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 airport does not accept jet aircraft, but a couple of international flights operate from it.
