Nonstop flight route between Reed City, Michigan, United States and Patuxent River, Maryland, United States:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from RCT to NHK:
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- About this route
- RCT Airport Information
- NHK Airport Information
- Facts about RCT
- Facts about NHK
- Map of Nearest Airports to RCT
- List of Nearest Airports to RCT
- Map of Furthest Airports from RCT
- List of Furthest Airports from RCT
- Map of Nearest Airports to NHK
- List of Nearest Airports to NHK
- Map of Furthest Airports from NHK
- List of Furthest Airports from NHK
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Nartron Field (RCT), Reed City, Michigan, United States and Naval Air Station Patuxent River (NHK), Patuxent River, Maryland, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 612 miles (or 985 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 Nartron Field and Naval Air Station Patuxent River, the route shown on this map most likely still appears to be a straight line.
Departure Airport Information:
| IATA / ICAO Codes: | RCT / KRCT |
| Airport Name: | Nartron Field |
| Location: | Reed City, Michigan, United States |
| GPS Coordinates: | 43°53'59"N by 85°31'0"W |
| Operator/Owner: | Norman Rautiola |
| Airport Type: | Public |
| Elevation: | 1055 feet (322 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 1 |
| View all routes: | Routes from RCT |
| More Information: | RCT Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
| IATA / ICAO Codes: | NHK / KNHK |
| Airport Names: |
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| Location: | Patuxent River, Maryland, United States |
| GPS Coordinates: | 38°17'9"N by 76°24'42"W |
| Operator/Owner: | United States Navy |
| Airport Type: | Naval Air Station |
| Elevation: | 39 feet (12 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 3 |
| View all routes: | Routes from NHK |
| More Information: | NHK Maps & Info |
Facts about Nartron Field (RCT):
- An area east of runway 17/35 and north of the abandoned building is used by local RC model aircraft enthusiasts to fly model aircraft.
- The closest airport to Nartron Field (RCT) is Roben-Hood Airport (WBR), which is located only 12 miles (20 kilometers) S of RCT.
- The airport is accessible by road from Old US Highway 131, just north of the intersection with US 10.
- The furthest airport from Nartron Field (RCT) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,137 miles (17,924 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
- Nartron Field (RCT) currently has only 1 runway.
Facts about Naval Air Station Patuxent River (NHK):
- The furthest airport from Naval Air Station Patuxent River (NHK) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,728 miles (18,874 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
- The closest airport to Naval Air Station Patuxent River (NHK) is St. Mary's County Regional Airport (LTW), which is located only 8 miles (12 kilometers) WNW of NHK.
- In addition to its role in testing naval aircraft, during the 1950s to 1970s Patuxent River served as an operational base for a Transport Squadron - VR-1, a TACAMO squadron - VQ-4, Airborne Training Unit Atlantic - AEWTULANT, and VW-11, VW-13 AN VW-15 and a number of Patrol Squadrons including VP-8, VP-44, VP-49, VP-24, VP-30 and VP-68.
- A lack of transportation in Saint Mary's County led the Navy to acquire and revitalize a branchline called theWashington, Brandywine and Point Lookout Railroad from Brandywine to Mechanicsville, Maryland in June 1942 and build an extension south from Mechanicsville to the air station.
- In addition to being known as "Naval Air Station Patuxent River", other names for NHK include "Trapnell Field" and "KNHK - FAA: NHK".
- In 1937, the Navy's Bureau of Aeronautics sought to consolidate aviation test programs, previously being conducted at several stations, including Dahlgren and Norfolk, the Washington Navy Yard, Naval Air Station Anacostia in Washington, D.C., and the Naval Aircraft Factory in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
- Commissioned on April 1, 1943 on land largely acquired through eminent domain, the air station grew rapidly in response to World War II and continued to evolve through the Cold War to the present.
- Because of Naval Air Station Patuxent River's relatively low elevation of 39 feet, planes can take off or land at Naval Air Station Patuxent River 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.
- Since the end of the Cold War, the Pentagon's Base Realignment and Closure measures have migrated research and testing facilities for both rotary and fixed-wing aircraft to NAS Patuxent River from decommissioned bases.
- A highway extension to the new air station was required by the project—250,000 tons of material were transported by either truck or water routes during a year of construction.
- Naval Air Station Patuxent River (NHK) has 3 runways.
