Nonstop flight route between Riverside, California, United States and Île Sainte-Marie, Madagascar:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from RIV to SMS:
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- About this route
- RIV Airport Information
- SMS Airport Information
- Facts about RIV
- Facts about SMS
- Map of Nearest Airports to RIV
- List of Nearest Airports to RIV
- Map of Furthest Airports from RIV
- List of Furthest Airports from RIV
- Map of Nearest Airports to SMS
- List of Nearest Airports to SMS
- Map of Furthest Airports from SMS
- List of Furthest Airports from SMS
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between March Air Reserve Base (RIV), Riverside, California, United States and Sainte Marie Airport (SMS), Île Sainte-Marie, Madagascar would travel a Great Circle distance of 11,027 miles (or 17,747 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 March Air Reserve Base and Sainte Marie 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 March Air Reserve Base and Sainte Marie Airport. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure Airport Information:
| IATA / ICAO Codes: | RIV / KRIV |
| Airport Name: | March Air Reserve Base |
| Location: | Riverside, California, United States |
| GPS Coordinates: | 33°52'50"N by 117°15'33"W |
| View all routes: | Routes from RIV |
| More Information: | RIV Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
| IATA / ICAO Codes: | SMS / FMMS |
| Airport Name: | Sainte Marie Airport |
| Location: | Île Sainte-Marie, Madagascar |
| GPS Coordinates: | 17°5'38"S by 49°48'56"E |
| Area Served: | Sainte Marie, Analanjirofo, Madagascar |
| Airport Type: | Public |
| Elevation: | 7 feet (2 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 1 |
| View all routes: | Routes from SMS |
| More Information: | SMS Maps & Info |
Facts about March Air Reserve Base (RIV):
- The closest airport to March Air Reserve Base (RIV) is Flabob Airport (RIR), which is located only 11 miles (18 kilometers) NW of RIV.
- The establishment of March Air Force Base began in the early 20th century at a time when the United States was rushing to build up its military forces in anticipation of an entry into World War I.
- Dragon Flight is a civilian formation flight demonstration team, based at March, sponsored by the March Field Aero Club.
- The signing of the armistice in November 1918 did not halt training at March Field.
- The furthest airport from March Air Reserve Base (RIV) is Pierrefonds Airport (ZSE), which is located 11,461 miles (18,445 kilometers) away in Saint-Pierre, Réunion.
- After the war, March was assigned to the new Tactical Air Command as part of the postwar reorganization of the Army Air Force.
- The 1st Fighter Group formed its own aerial demonstration team in January 1950.
Facts about Sainte Marie Airport (SMS):
- The furthest airport from Sainte Marie Airport (SMS) is Guerrero Negro Airport (GUB), which is located 11,161 miles (17,962 kilometers) away in Guerrero Negro, Baja California Sur, Mexico.
- Sainte Marie Airport (SMS) currently has only 1 runway.
- The closest airport to Sainte Marie Airport (SMS) is Toamasino Airport (TMM), which is located 76 miles (122 kilometers) SSW of SMS.
- Because of Sainte Marie Airport's relatively low elevation of 7 feet, planes can take off or land at Sainte Marie 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.
