Nonstop flight route between Cocle, Panama and Tacoma, Washington, United States:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from RIH to TCM:
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- About this route
- RIH Airport Information
- TCM Airport Information
- Facts about RIH
- Facts about TCM
- Map of Nearest Airports to RIH
- List of Nearest Airports to RIH
- Map of Furthest Airports from RIH
- List of Furthest Airports from RIH
- Map of Nearest Airports to TCM
- List of Nearest Airports to TCM
- Map of Furthest Airports from TCM
- List of Furthest Airports from TCM
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Río Hato / Scarlett Martinez Airport (RIH), Cocle, Panama and McChord Field/McChord AFB (TCM), Tacoma, Washington, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 3,650 miles (or 5,875 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 Río Hato / Scarlett Martinez 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 Río Hato / Scarlett Martinez 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:
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 |
Arrival Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | TCM / KTCM |
Airport Names: |
|
Location: | Tacoma, Washington, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 47°8'16"N by 122°28'35"W |
Operator/Owner: | U.S. Air Force |
Airport Type: | Military: Air Force Base |
Elevation: | 322 feet (98 meters) |
# of Runways: | 2 |
View all routes: | Routes from TCM |
More Information: | TCM Maps & Info |
Facts about Río Hato / Scarlett Martinez Airport (RIH):
- Río Hato was also the first combat target for the US Air Force F-117 Nighthawk stealth fighter during Operation Just Cause.
- 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.
- 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.
- Río Hato / Scarlett Martinez Airport (RIH) currently has only 1 runway.
- 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.
Facts about McChord Field/McChord AFB (TCM):
- 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 addition to being known as "McChord Field/McChord AFB", another name for TCM is "Part of Air Mobility Command (AMC)".
- 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.
- Starting in mid-1943 the training of B-17 and B-24 replacement crews began to be phased out, as the Second Air Force began ramping up training of B-29 Superfortress Very Heavy bomb groups, destined for Twentieth Air Force.
- On 1 August 1946, McChord was assigned to the new Air Defense Command, with a mission of air defense of the United States.
- On 6 October 1949, the 62nd received its first four-engine Douglas C-54 Skymaster transport.
- 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.
- McChord Field/McChord AFB (TCM) has 2 runways.
- Following the end of the war in Europe, McChord redeployed thousands of troops arriving from the European theater to the Pacific as part of Air Transport Command.
- 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 62d Operations Group flies the C-17 Globemaster III transport from McChord Field.