Nonstop flight route between Port Elizabeth, South Africa and Palm Springs, California, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Port Elizabeth International Airport (PLZ), Port Elizabeth, South Africa and Jacqueline Cochran Regional Airport (TRM), Palm Springs, California, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 10,255 miles (or 16,503 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 Port Elizabeth International Airport and Jacqueline Cochran Regional 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 Port Elizabeth International Airport and Jacqueline Cochran Regional Airport. 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 Port Elizabeth International Airport (PLZ):

• Because of Port Elizabeth International Airport's relatively low elevation of 226 feet, planes can take off or land at Port Elizabeth 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.
• Port Elizabeth International Airport (PLZ) has 2 runways.
• The furthest airport from Port Elizabeth International Airport (PLZ) is Princeville Airport (HPV), which is located 11,567 miles (18,615 kilometers) away in Hanalei, Hawaii, United States.
• The airport resides at an elevation of 226 feet above mean sea level.
• There is also a branch of the South African Air Force Museum at the airport.
• A highlight in Port Elizabeth's history was the first flight to Port Elizabeth from Cape Town in 1917, made by Major Allister Mackintosh Miller.
• The closest airport to Port Elizabeth International Airport (PLZ) is Port Alfred Airport (AFD), which is located 79 miles (127 kilometers) ENE of PLZ.
• In 2013, the airport served 1,269,634 passengers.

Facts about Jacqueline Cochran Regional Airport (TRM):

• In addition to being known as "Jacqueline Cochran Regional Airport", another name for TRM is "(former Thermal Army Air Field)".
• Because of Jacqueline Cochran Regional Airport's relatively low elevation of -115 feet, planes can take off or land at Jacqueline Cochran Regional 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.
• Today, Thermal is a municipal airport serving general aviation.
• The airport is one mile west of the California State Route 86S expressway and six miles south of Interstate 10 in the lower Coachella Valley of central Riverside County, an area known as the Desert Resorts Region.
• The closest airport to Jacqueline Cochran Regional Airport (TRM) is Bermuda Dunes Airport (UDD), which is located only 11 miles (17 kilometers) NW of TRM.
• The airfield was known as Thermal Ground Support Base or Thermal Army Air Field.
• Jacqueline Cochran Regional Airport (TRM) has 2 runways.
• The Navy closed Thermal on November 1, 1945, returning the field to the Army two months later.
• The airport was established in August 1942 at the beginning of World War II, and was used as an air support command base as part of the Desert Training Center in the Mojave Desert of Southern California.
• The furthest airport from Jacqueline Cochran Regional Airport (TRM) is Sir Gaëtan Duval Airport (RRG), which is located 11,478 miles (18,472 kilometers) away in Rodrigues Island, Mauritius.