Nonstop flight route between Pensacola, Florida, United States and Des Moines, Iowa, United States:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from NPA to DSM:
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- About this route
- NPA Airport Information
- DSM Airport Information
- Facts about NPA
- Facts about DSM
- Map of Nearest Airports to NPA
- List of Nearest Airports to NPA
- Map of Furthest Airports from NPA
- List of Furthest Airports from NPA
- Map of Nearest Airports to DSM
- List of Nearest Airports to DSM
- Map of Furthest Airports from DSM
- List of Furthest Airports from DSM
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Naval Air Station PensacolaForrest Sherman Field (NPA), Pensacola, Florida, United States and Des Moines International Airport (DSM), Des Moines, Iowa, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 850 miles (or 1,368 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 PensacolaForrest Sherman Field and Des Moines International Airport, the route shown on this map most likely still appears to be a straight line.
Departure Airport Information:
| IATA / ICAO Codes: | NPA / KNPA |
| Airport Names: |
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| Location: | Pensacola, Florida, United States |
| GPS Coordinates: | 30°21'15"N by 87°18'20"W |
| Operator/Owner: | United States Navy |
| Airport Type: | Military: Naval Air Station |
| Elevation: | 28 feet (9 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 3 |
| View all routes: | Routes from NPA |
| More Information: | NPA Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
| IATA / ICAO Codes: | DSM / KDSM |
| Airport Name: | Des Moines International Airport |
| Location: | Des Moines, Iowa, United States |
| GPS Coordinates: | 41°32'2"N by 93°39'47"W |
| Area Served: | Des Moines, Iowa |
| Operator/Owner: | City of Des Moines |
| Airport Type: | Public |
| Elevation: | 958 feet (292 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 2 |
| View all routes: | Routes from DSM |
| More Information: | DSM Maps & Info |
Facts about Naval Air Station PensacolaForrest Sherman Field (NPA):
- Station Field was created on the north side of the navy yard in 1922.
- In 1825, the US designated this area for the Pensacola Navy Yard was designated and Congress appropriated $6,000 for a lighthouse.
- Naval Air Station Pensacola or NAS Pensacola, "The Cradle of Naval Aviation", is a United States Navy base located next to Warrington, Florida, a community southwest of the Pensacola city limits.
- NAVAVSCOLSCOM also previously oversaw Aviation Officer Candidate School until that program's disestablishment and merger into Officer Candidate School under Officer Training Command at NETC Newport, Rhode Island in 2007.
- Construction began in April 1826, and the Pensacola Navy Yard, also known as the Warrington Navy Yard, became one of the best equipped naval stations in the country.
- The air station also hosts the Naval Education and Training Command and the Naval Aerospace Medical Institute, which provides training for all naval flight surgeons, aviation physiologists, and aviation experimental psychologists.
- Upon the entry of the United States into World War I on 6 April 1917, Pensacola, still the only naval air station, had 38 naval aviators, 163 enlisted men trained in aviation support, and 54 fixed-wing aircraft.
- In addition to being known as "Naval Air Station PensacolaForrest Sherman Field", another name for NPA is "KNPA - FAA: NPA".
- Naval Air Station PensacolaForrest Sherman Field (NPA) has 3 runways.
- Because of Naval Air Station PensacolaForrest Sherman Field's relatively low elevation of 28 feet, planes can take off or land at Naval Air Station PensacolaForrest Sherman Field 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 site now occupied by NAS Pensacola has been controlled by varying nations.
- The furthest airport from Naval Air Station PensacolaForrest Sherman Field (NPA) is Cocos (Keeling) Island Airport (CCK), which is located 11,154 miles (17,951 kilometers) away in Cocos Islands, Australia.
- The closest airport to Naval Air Station PensacolaForrest Sherman Field (NPA) is NOLF Saufley Field (NUN), which is located only 8 miles (13 kilometers) NNW of NPA.
- Other tenant activities include the United States Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, the Blue Angels, flying F/A-18 Hornets and a single USMC KC-130F Hercules.
Facts about Des Moines International Airport (DSM):
- Because of Des Moines International Airport's relatively low elevation of 958 feet, planes can take off or land at Des Moines 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 furthest airport from Des Moines International Airport (DSM) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 10,789 miles (17,363 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
- In addition to work inside the passenger terminal, the airport is building a rental car facility and new parking facilities.
- On December 2, 1978, Douglas C-47A N41447 of SMB Stage Line crashed short of the runway while on a cargo flight from Chicago, Illinois.
- Des Moines International Airport (DSM) has 2 runways.
- On December 18, 2010, a small red Beechcraft Bonanza crashed while performing an emergency landing at DSM.
- The closest airport to Des Moines International Airport (DSM) is Ankeny Regional Airport (IKV), which is located only 12 miles (19 kilometers) NNE of DSM.
- During the 1920s the Des Moines area had several small private airports for general aviation and airmail.
