Nonstop flight route between Saipan Island, Northern Mariana Islands and Temple, Texas, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Saipan International Airport (SPN), Saipan Island, Northern Mariana Islands and Draughon-Miller Central Texas Regional Airport (TPL), Temple, Texas, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 7,171 miles (or 11,541 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 Saipan International Airport and Draughon-Miller Central Texas Regional 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 Saipan International Airport and Draughon-Miller Central Texas Regional 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 Saipan International Airport (SPN):

• SPN was a sugarcane field before the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service constructed a temporary landing field on the site in 1933.
• The closest airport to Saipan International Airport (SPN) is Tinian International Airport (TIQ), which is located only 11 miles (18 kilometers) SW of SPN.
• Saipan International Airport covers an area of 734 acres which contains one paved runway measuring 8,700 x 200 ft.
• Saipan International Airport (SPN) currently has only 1 runway.
• In addition to being known as "Saipan International Airport", other names for SPN include "Francisco C. Ada Airport" and "GSN".
• Because of Saipan International Airport's relatively low elevation of 215 feet, planes can take off or land at Saipan International 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 furthest airport from Saipan International Airport (SPN) is Salvador-Deputado Luís Eduardo Magalhães International Airport (2 de Julho) (SSA), which is nearly antipodal to Saipan International Airport (meaning Saipan International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Salvador-Deputado Luís Eduardo Magalhães International Airport (2 de Julho)), and is located 12,125 miles (19,514 kilometers) away in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil.
• After several months of disappointing high level bombing attacks from Isely, General Curtis LeMay, Commander of Twentieth Air Force issued a new directive that the high-altitude, daylight attacks be phased out and replaced by low-altitude, high-intensity incendiary raids at nighttime, being followed up with high explosive bombs once the targets were set ablaze.

Facts about Draughon-Miller Central Texas Regional Airport (TPL):

• In July 1942, the United States Army Air Forces acquired pasture land and began construction of Temple Army Airfield.
• In addition to being known as "Draughon-Miller Central Texas Regional Airport", another name for TPL is "(former Temple Army Airfield)".
• Because of Draughon-Miller Central Texas Regional Airport's relatively low elevation of 682 feet, planes can take off or land at Draughon-Miller Central Texas Regional 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.
• Draughon-Miller Central Texas Regional Airport (TPL) has 2 runways.
• The furthest airport from Draughon-Miller Central Texas Regional Airport (TPL) is Sir Gaëtan Duval Airport (RRG), which is located 11,005 miles (17,712 kilometers) away in Rodrigues Island, Mauritius.
• The closest airport to Draughon-Miller Central Texas Regional Airport (TPL) is Skylark Field (ILE), which is located only 17 miles (28 kilometers) WSW of TPL.
• With the end of the war the airfield was determined to be excess by the military and turned over to the City of Temple, which closed "Temple Municipal Airport," and renamed Temple Army Airfield "Draughon-Miller" in honor of two Temple fliers who had died in World War II.