Nonstop flight route between Pawtucket, Rhode Island, United States and Mountain View, California, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between North Central State Airport (SFZ), Pawtucket, Rhode Island, United States and Moffett Federal Airfield (NUQ), Mountain View, California, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 2,668 miles (or 4,293 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 North Central State Airport and Moffett Federal Airfield, 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 North Central State Airport and Moffett Federal Airfield. 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 North Central State Airport (SFZ):

• Because of North Central State Airport's relatively low elevation of 441 feet, planes can take off or land at North Central State 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 airport is situated in the towns of Smithfield and Lincoln.
• North Central State Airport (SFZ) has 2 runways.
• The closest airport to North Central State Airport (SFZ) is T. F. Green Airport (PVD), which is located only 14 miles (23 kilometers) SSE of SFZ.
• It is a non-towered airport and generally caters to private pilots and general aviation, and the aircraft that are seen there are usually either piston or light jet aircraft.
• The furthest airport from North Central State Airport (SFZ) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,779 miles (18,956 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.

Facts about Moffett Federal Airfield (NUQ):

• The closest airport to Moffett Federal Airfield (NUQ) is Palo Alto Airport of Santa Clara County (PAO), which is located only 5 miles (8 kilometers) NW of NUQ.
• In 2006, an offer to clean the hangar and coat its outsides with solar panels to recoup the costs of cleaning was floated by a private company, but the plan never saw fruition because it was too costly.
• A spirited debate is underway over the future of Hangar One.
• The furthest airport from Moffett Federal Airfield (NUQ) is Tôlanaro Airport (FTU), which is located 11,365 miles (18,290 kilometers) away in Tôlanaro, Madagascar.
• The adjacent NASA Ames Research Center is also home to several wind tunnels, including the Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel, and the National Full-Scale Aerodynamic Complex.
• Because of Moffett Federal Airfield's relatively low elevation of 32 feet, planes can take off or land at Moffett Federal Airfield 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.
• Post-Cold War defense cutbacks and related Base Realignment and Closure actions in the 1990s identified NAS Moffett Field for closure.
• In 1960, the nearby Air Force Satellite Test Center, was created adjacent to NAS Moffett Field.
• Moffett Federal Airfield (NUQ) has 2 runways.