Nonstop flight route between Patuxent River, Maryland, United States and Wuxi/Suzhou, Jiangsu, China:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Naval Air Station Patuxent River (NHK), Patuxent River, Maryland, United States and Sunan Shuofang International Airport (WUX), Wuxi/Suzhou, Jiangsu, China would travel a Great Circle distance of 7,495 miles (or 12,062 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 Sunan Shuofang International 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 Sunan Shuofang International 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):

• On 1 April 1976, Patuxent River's air field was named after pioneering aviator VADM Frederick M.
• 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.
• 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.
• The original civilian residents had about a month, until March 1, 1942, to relocate as the federal government purchased all the land at a cost of $712,287 for 6,412 acres, which in 2013 dollars would be the equivalent of being paid $1,261 per acre.
• Naval Air Station Patuxent River (NHK) has 3 runways.
• 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.
• 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.
• During construction, housing needs far outstripped supply, and barracks were built for workers on the station.
• 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.
• Cooperation with the British also led to transatlantic visits to PAX River by RAF squadrons.
• 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.

Facts about Sunan Shuofang International Airport (WUX):

• The furthest airport from Sunan Shuofang International Airport (WUX) is General Justo José de Urquiza Airport (PRA), which is nearly antipodal to Sunan Shuofang International Airport (meaning Sunan Shuofang International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from General Justo José de Urquiza Airport), and is located 12,379 miles (19,923 kilometers) away in Paraná, Entre Ríos, Argentina.
• Sunan Shuofang International Airport (WUX) currently has only 1 runway.
• Because of Sunan Shuofang International Airport's relatively low elevation of 16 feet, planes can take off or land at Sunan Shuofang International 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 closest airport to Sunan Shuofang International Airport (WUX) is Suzhou Guangfu Airport (SZV), which is located only 16 miles (26 kilometers) S of WUX.
• Sunan Shuofang International Airport handled 2,535,227 passengers last year.
• In addition to being known as "Sunan Shuofang International Airport", other names for WUX include "苏南硕放国际机场" and "Sūnán Shuòfàng Guójì Jīchǎng".