Nonstop flight route between Santa Ana, California, United States and Apia, Upolu Island, Samoa:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from NZJ to APW:
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- About this route
- NZJ Airport Information
- APW Airport Information
- Facts about NZJ
- Facts about APW
- Map of Nearest Airports to NZJ
- List of Nearest Airports to NZJ
- Map of Furthest Airports from NZJ
- List of Furthest Airports from NZJ
- Map of Nearest Airports to APW
- List of Nearest Airports to APW
- Map of Furthest Airports from APW
- List of Furthest Airports from APW
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between MCAS El Toro (NZJ), Santa Ana, California, United States and Faleolo International Airport (APW), Apia, Upolu Island, Samoa would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,848 miles (or 7,802 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 MCAS El Toro and Faleolo 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 MCAS El Toro and Faleolo International Airport. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure Airport Information:
| IATA / ICAO Codes: | NZJ / KNZJ |
| Airport Name: | MCAS El Toro |
| Location: | Santa Ana, California, United States |
| GPS Coordinates: | 33°40'33"N by 117°43'51"W |
| Operator/Owner: | United States Marine Corps |
| Airport Type: | Military |
| Elevation: | 383 feet (117 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 5 |
| View all routes: | Routes from NZJ |
| More Information: | NZJ Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
| IATA / ICAO Codes: | APW / NSFA |
| Airport Name: | Faleolo International Airport |
| Location: | Apia, Upolu Island, Samoa |
| GPS Coordinates: | 13°49'46"S by 172°0'29"W |
| Area Served: | Apia, Upolu Island, Samoa |
| Airport Type: | Public |
| Elevation: | 58 feet (18 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 1 |
| View all routes: | Routes from APW |
| More Information: | APW Maps & Info |
Facts about MCAS El Toro (NZJ):
- Over the years, the VOCs had seeped into the groundwater, resulting in a plume of contaminated groundwater extending for three miles to the west of the station.
- The site is currently used as a filming location, including the test track for the United States version of BBC's Top Gear franchise.
- Because of MCAS El Toro's relatively low elevation of 383 feet, planes can take off or land at MCAS El Toro 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 closing of MCAS El Toro ignited a political firestorm over the eventual fate of the facility.
- The land originally surrounding the base was mostly at agricultural use when it first opened, but it the late 1980s and early 1990s, residential development started to begin in the area.
- MCAS El Toro (NZJ) has 5 runways.
- The closest airport to MCAS El Toro (NZJ) is John Wayne Airport (SNA), which is located only 8 miles (13 kilometers) W of NZJ.
- The furthest airport from MCAS El Toro (NZJ) is Pierrefonds Airport (ZSE), which is located 11,486 miles (18,486 kilometers) away in Saint-Pierre, Réunion.
Facts about Faleolo International Airport (APW):
- Faleolo International Airport (APW) currently has only 1 runway.
- Faleolo Tower has some jurisdiction over the airspace of American Samoa and Tonga as well as its own airspace.
- Faleolo International Airport is an airport located 40 kilometres west of Apia, the capital of Samoa.
- Because of Faleolo International Airport's relatively low elevation of 58 feet, planes can take off or land at Faleolo 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 Faleolo International Airport (APW) is Maradi Airport (MFQ), which is nearly antipodal to Faleolo International Airport (meaning Faleolo International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Maradi Airport), and is located 12,373 miles (19,913 kilometers) away in Maradi, Niger.
- The site and location of the current airport was originally known as Faleolo Airfield.
- The closest airport to Faleolo International Airport (APW) is Maota (Salelologa) Airport (MXS), which is located only 18 miles (29 kilometers) WNW of APW.
