Nonstop flight route between Spokane, Washington, United States and Mbandaka, Democratic Republic of the Congo:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from SKA to MDK:
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- About this route
- SKA Airport Information
- MDK Airport Information
- Facts about SKA
- Facts about MDK
- Map of Nearest Airports to SKA
- List of Nearest Airports to SKA
- Map of Furthest Airports from SKA
- List of Furthest Airports from SKA
- Map of Nearest Airports to MDK
- List of Nearest Airports to MDK
- Map of Furthest Airports from MDK
- List of Furthest Airports from MDK
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Fairchild Air Force Base (SKA), Spokane, Washington, United States and Mbandaka Airport (MDK), Mbandaka, Democratic Republic of the Congo would travel a Great Circle distance of 8,219 miles (or 13,227 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 Fairchild Air Force Base and Mbandaka 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 Fairchild Air Force Base and Mbandaka Airport. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure Airport Information:
| IATA / ICAO Codes: | SKA / KSKA |
| Airport Names: |
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| Location: | Spokane, Washington, United States |
| GPS Coordinates: | 47°36'54"N by 117°39'20"W |
| View all routes: | Routes from SKA |
| More Information: | SKA Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
| IATA / ICAO Codes: | MDK / FZEA |
| Airport Names: |
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| Location: | Mbandaka, Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| GPS Coordinates: | 0°1'21"N by 18°17'18"E |
| Operator/Owner: | Government |
| Airport Type: | Public |
| Elevation: | 1040 feet (317 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 1 |
| View all routes: | Routes from MDK |
| More Information: | MDK Maps & Info |
Facts about Fairchild Air Force Base (SKA):
- At the time of the shooting, Fairchild's hospital was an ungated facility.
- The closest airport to Fairchild Air Force Base (SKA) is Spokane International Airport (GEG), which is located only 6 miles (9 kilometers) E of SKA.
- In 1956 the wing began a conversion that brought the B-52 Stratofortress to Fairchild, followed by the KC-135 Stratotanker in 1958.
- In June 1992, with the inactivation of Strategic Air Command, the B-52 portion of the wing became part of the newly established Air Combat Command and was re-designated the 92d Bomb Wing.
- In addition to being known as "Fairchild Air Force Base", another name for SKA is "Fairchild AFB".
- Since 1942, Fairchild Air Force Base/Station has been a key part of the United States' defense strategy—from World War II repair depot, to Strategic Air Command bomber wing during the Cold War, to Air Mobility Command air refueling wing during Operation IRAQI FREEDOM.
- The furthest airport from Fairchild Air Force Base (SKA) is Tôlanaro Airport (FTU), which is located 10,665 miles (17,163 kilometers) away in Tôlanaro, Madagascar.
Facts about Mbandaka Airport (MDK):
- The closest airport to Mbandaka Airport (MDK) is Impfondo Airport (ION), which is located 110 miles (176 kilometers) N of MDK.
- In addition to being known as "Mbandaka Airport", other names for MDK include "Aéroport de Mbandaka" and "Mbandaka Airport".
- The furthest airport from Mbandaka Airport (MDK) is Cassidy International Airport (CXI), which is nearly antipodal to Mbandaka Airport (meaning Mbandaka Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Cassidy International Airport), and is located 12,105 miles (19,481 kilometers) away in Christmas Island, Kiribati.
- Mbandaka Airport (MDK) currently has only 1 runway.
