Nonstop flight route between Ocho Rios, Jamaica and Tacoma, Washington, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Ian Fleming International Airport (OCJ), Ocho Rios, Jamaica and McChord Field/McChord AFB (TCM), Tacoma, Washington, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 3,238 miles (or 5,211 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 Ian Fleming International Airport and McChord Field/McChord AFB, 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 Ian Fleming International Airport and McChord Field/McChord AFB. 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 Ian Fleming International Airport (OCJ):

• The renaming of the airport was controversial, with some locals feeling that a prominent Jamaican should have been honoured in preference to the British Ian Fleming.
• The closest airport to Ian Fleming International Airport (OCJ) is Tinson Pen Aerodrome (KTP), which is located 30 miles (49 kilometers) SSE of OCJ.
• Because of Ian Fleming International Airport's relatively low elevation of 90 feet, planes can take off or land at Ian Fleming 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.
• Ian Fleming International Airport (OCJ) currently has only 1 runway.
• The furthest airport from Ian Fleming International Airport (OCJ) is Christmas Island Airport (XCH), which is located 11,859 miles (19,086 kilometers) away in Christmas Island, Australia.
• The following table shows the number of passengers using the airport annually from 1997 through 2001.
• The new airport welcomed its first international flight on Friday, May 7, 2010 when a single-engine Pilatus PC-12 turbo prop flew in from the Bahamas with singer-songwriter and businessman Jimmy Buffett, of "Margaritaville" fame, being the first international passenger to be processed by customs and immigration officers at the facility.

Facts about McChord Field/McChord AFB (TCM):

• McChord Field/McChord AFB (TCM) has 2 runways.
• The 325th Fighter Group operated two squadrons of F-82F Twin Mustangs from McChord between 1948 and 1950, the first postwar fighter optimized for the air defense interceptor mission.
• Because of McChord Field/McChord AFB's relatively low elevation of 322 feet, planes can take off or land at McChord Field/McChord AFB 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.
• In 1940 McChord Field became the headquarters of the GHQ Air Force Northwest Air District, with a mission for the defense of the Pacific Northwest and Upper Great Plains regions of the United States.
• The ADC radar site was deactivated 1 April 1960 and repositioned to Fort Lawton AFS where the Air Force consolidated its anti-aircraft radars with the United States Army Seattle Defense Area Army Air-Defense Command Post S-90DC for Nike missile operations.
• In 1968, McChord AFB was relieved of its assignment to the subsequently renamed Aerospace Defense Command and was reassigned to Military Airlift Command as one of three MAC bases in the western United States operating the C-141 Starlifter.
• In addition to being known as "McChord Field/McChord AFB", another name for TCM is "Part of Air Mobility Command (AMC)".
• With the departure of the 17th Bomb Group, the mission of McChord Field became supporting the Army Air Forces Training Command's mission of training of units, crews, and individuals for bombardment, fighter, and reconnaissance operations.
• The McChord Air Museum features exhibits about McChord Field and a collection of restored military aircraft.
• In 1917, the citizens of Pierce County, Washington approved a bond measure for $2,000,000 to buy 70,000 acres of land to be donated to the Federal Government for use as a military reservation.
• The closest airport to McChord Field/McChord AFB (TCM) is Gray Army Airfield (GRF), which is located only 6 miles (10 kilometers) SW of TCM.
• The furthest airport from McChord Field/McChord AFB (TCM) is Tôlanaro Airport (FTU), which is located 10,803 miles (17,386 kilometers) away in Tôlanaro, Madagascar.