Nonstop flight route between Santa Ana, California, United States and Comox, British Columbia, Canada:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between MCAS El Toro (NZJ), Santa Ana, California, United States and CFB Comox (YQQ), Comox, British Columbia, Canada would travel a Great Circle distance of 1,166 miles (or 1,877 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 MCAS El Toro and CFB Comox, the route shown on this map most likely still appears to be a straight line.

Departure Airport Information:

Arrival Airport Information:

Facts about MCAS El Toro (NZJ):

• The land area originally taken by the air station is planned to be converted into a large recreational center, the Orange County Great Park.
• In 1993, MCAS El Toro was designated for closing by the Base Realignment and Closure Commission and all of its activities were to be transferred to Marine Corps Air Station Miramar.
• MCAS El Toro (NZJ) has 5 runways.
• Marine Corps Air Station El Toro was a United States Marine Corps Air Station located near Irvine, California.
• The closing of MCAS El Toro ignited a political firestorm over the eventual fate of the facility.
• 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 the site could be developed for civilian use, the Department of the Navy was required to perform environmental remediation to clean up contaminated soil on the site.
• The battle between pro-airport and anti-airport groups dominated Orange County politics for much of the late 1990s and early 2000s.
• In May 1942, Lieutenant Colonel William Fox was directed to select the sites for all of the Marine Corps' West Coast air stations.
• 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 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 CFB Comox (YQQ):

• Because of CFB Comox's relatively low elevation of 84 feet, planes can take off or land at CFB Comox 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 CFB Comox (YQQ) is Tôlanaro Airport (FTU), which is located 10,677 miles (17,182 kilometers) away in Tôlanaro, Madagascar.
• From 1946 until 1952 the base was mothballed until tensions resulting from the Korean War and Cold War prompted reactivation and the establishment of a permanent RCAF base on Canada's Pacific coast.
• CFB Comox (YQQ) has 2 runways.
• CFB Comox is the location of the Canadian Forces School of Search and Rescue, where all para-rescue specialists in the Canadian Forces, known as Search And Rescue Technicians or "SAR Techs", undergo training.
• In 1980, 407 Squadron began re-equipping with the Lockheed CP-140 Aurora.
• The closest airport to CFB Comox (YQQ) is Courtenay Airpark (YCA), which is located only 5 miles (8 kilometers) WSW of YQQ.
• In addition to being known as "CFB Comox", another name for YQQ is "Comox Airport".
• CFB Comox's airfield also serves as a civilian airport for commercial flights destined to Vancouver, Calgary, Campbell River, Edmonton and Mexico.
• In 1954, Comox became home to a Pinetree Line radar early-warning station, operated by the "51 Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron ".