Nonstop flight route between Santa Ana, California, United States and Cocle, Panama:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from NZJ to RIH:
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- About this route
- NZJ Airport Information
- RIH Airport Information
- Facts about NZJ
- Facts about RIH
- 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 RIH
- List of Nearest Airports to RIH
- Map of Furthest Airports from RIH
- List of Furthest Airports from RIH
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between MCAS El Toro (NZJ), Santa Ana, California, United States and Río Hato / Scarlett Martinez Airport (RIH), Cocle, Panama would travel a Great Circle distance of 2,961 miles (or 4,766 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 Río Hato / Scarlett Martinez 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 Río Hato / Scarlett Martinez 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: | RIH / MPSM |
| Airport Name: | Río Hato / Scarlett Martinez Airport |
| Location: | Cocle, Panama |
| GPS Coordinates: | 8°22'32"N by 80°7'40"W |
| Area Served: | Rio Hato, Coclé, Panama |
| Airport Type: | Public |
| Elevation: | 105 feet (32 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 1 |
| View all routes: | Routes from RIH |
| More Information: | RIH Maps & Info |
Facts about MCAS El Toro (NZJ):
- In 1950, El Toro was selected as a permanent Master Jet Station for the Fleet Marine Forces, Pacific.
- 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.
- Before it was decommissioned in 1999, it was the 4,682 acres home of Marine Corps aviation on the West Coast.
- MCAS El Toro (NZJ) has 5 runways.
- The Department of the Navy hired the General Services Administration and Los Angeles-based Colliers International to assist in the sale of MCAS El Toro.
- Those against the airport proposal were largely residents of the cities in the immediate vicinity of El Toro, such as Irvine, Lake Forest, Laguna Niguel, Laguna Woods, Dana Point, and Mission Viejo, where residents were alarmed at the idea of the aircraft noise.
- 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 closest airport to MCAS El Toro (NZJ) is John Wayne Airport (SNA), which is located only 8 miles (13 kilometers) W of NZJ.
Facts about Río Hato / Scarlett Martinez Airport (RIH):
- Established in 1931, during World War II Río Hato Army Air Base was used by the United States Army Air Forces Sixth Air Force as part of the defense of the Panama Canal.
- The furthest airport from Río Hato / Scarlett Martinez Airport (RIH) is Cocos (Keeling) Island Airport (CCK), which is nearly antipodal to Río Hato / Scarlett Martinez Airport (meaning Río Hato / Scarlett Martinez Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Cocos (Keeling) Island Airport), and is located 12,102 miles (19,476 kilometers) away in Cocos Islands, Australia.
- Río Hato was also the first combat target for the US Air Force F-117 Nighthawk stealth fighter during Operation Just Cause.
- The closest airport to Río Hato / Scarlett Martinez Airport (RIH) is Albrook "Marcos A. Gelabert" International Airport (PAC), which is located 57 miles (91 kilometers) NE of RIH.
- Because of Río Hato / Scarlett Martinez Airport's relatively low elevation of 105 feet, planes can take off or land at Río Hato / Scarlett Martinez 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.
- Río Hato / Scarlett Martinez Airport (RIH) currently has only 1 runway.
