Nonstop flight route between San Bernardino, California, United States and Chilas, Pakistan:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Norton Air Force Base (SBD), San Bernardino, California, United States and Chilas Airport (CHB), Chilas, Pakistan would travel a Great Circle distance of 7,578 miles (or 12,195 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 Norton Air Force Base and Chilas 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 Norton Air Force Base and Chilas 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 Norton Air Force Base (SBD):

• A change of mission in 1966 from Air Force Logistics Command to Military Airlift Command meant that Norton became one of six Military Airlift Command strategic-airlift bases, supporting US Army and Marine Corps' airlift requirements among other functions.
• The closest airport to Norton Air Force Base (SBD) is San Bernardino International Airport (SBT), which is located only 0 mile (0 kilometer) S of SBD.
• In addition to being known as "Norton Air Force Base", another name for SBD is "Norton AFB".
• The furthest airport from Norton Air Force Base (SBD) is Pierrefonds Airport (ZSE), which is located 11,447 miles (18,423 kilometers) away in Saint-Pierre, Réunion.
• Major secondary missions of Norton Air Force Base was as Headquarters Air Defense Command for Southern California, during the 1950s and 1960s.
• In 1955, the 27th AD established a Manual Air-Defense Control Center at Norton to monitor and track aircraft in Southern California.
• Norton was placed on the Department of Defense's base closure list in 1989.
• LAADS was inactivated on 1 April 1966 and the designation was returned as the 27th Air Division, being stationed at Luke AFB, Arizona under Fourth Air Force as part of a consolidation with the inactivating Phoenix Air Defense Sector.
• A base railroad system interchanged with the Pacific Electric/Southern Pacific branch line on the south side of the installation.
• The aviation facilities of the base were converted into San Bernardino International Airport, and 3 of the 4 stationed squadrons – C-141 Starlifter, C-21, and C-12 Huron aircraft – were moved to nearby March Air Force Base, while the remaining squadron – C-141 aircraft – was moved to McChord Air Force Base, Washington.
• Norton Air Force Base was named for San Bernardino native Captain Leland Francis Norton.

Facts about Chilas Airport (CHB):

• Chilas Airport (CHB) currently has only 1 runway.
• The furthest airport from Chilas Airport (CHB) is Mataveri International Airport (IPC), which is located 11,830 miles (19,038 kilometers) away in Easter Island, Chile.
• The closest airport to Chilas Airport (CHB) is Gilgit Airport (GIL), which is located 37 miles (59 kilometers) NNE of CHB.
• Because of Chilas Airport's high elevation of 4,150 feet, planes must typically fly at a faster airspeed in order to takeoff or land at CHB. Combined with a high temperature, this could make CHB a "Hot & High" airport, where the air density is lower than it would otherwise be at sea level.