Nonstop flight route between Tacoma, Washington, United States and Kwajalein Atoll, Marshall Islands:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between McChord Field/McChord AFB (TCM), Tacoma, Washington, United States and Ebadon Airstrip (EBN), Kwajalein Atoll, Marshall Islands would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,831 miles (or 7,775 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 McChord Field/McChord AFB and Ebadon Airstrip, 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 McChord Field/McChord AFB and Ebadon Airstrip. 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 McChord Field/McChord AFB (TCM):

• Today, the successor organization to the 25th AD, the Western Air Defense Sector, is a major tenant organization at McChord, being one of two air defense sectors responsible for the security and integrity of continental United States air space.
• Because of McChord Field/McChord AFB's relatively low elevation of 322 feet, planes can take off or land at McChord Field/McChord AFB 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 McChord Air Force Base facility was consolidated with the United States Army Fort Lewis on 1 February 2010 to become part of the Joint Base Lewis-McChord complex.
• The furthest airport from McChord Field/McChord AFB (TCM) is Tôlanaro Airport (FTU), which is located 10,803 miles (17,386 kilometers) away in Tôlanaro, Madagascar.
• McChord also had large maintenance facilities for Air Technical Service Command during the war, serving served as a P-39 Aircobra modification center April 1944 – May 1945 for lend-lease aircraft being sent to Russia via the Alaska Territory.
• McChord Field/McChord AFB (TCM) has 2 runways.
• With the departure of the 17th Bomb Group, the mission of McChord Field became supporting the Army Air Forces Training Command's mission of training of units, crews, and individuals for bombardment, fighter, and reconnaissance operations.
• Nearly all new heavy bomb groups organized after Pearl Harbor were organized and trained at Second Air Force Bases, by II Bomber Command operational training units then were deployed to combat commands around the world.
• In addition to being known as "McChord Field/McChord AFB", another name for TCM is "Part of Air Mobility Command (AMC)".
• In 1940 McChord Field became the headquarters of the GHQ Air Force Northwest Air District, with a mission for the defense of the Pacific Northwest and Upper Great Plains regions of the United States.
• The closest airport to McChord Field/McChord AFB (TCM) is Gray Army Airfield (GRF), which is located only 6 miles (10 kilometers) SW of TCM.
• Part of Air Mobility Command
• Starting in mid-1943 the training of B-17 and B-24 replacement crews began to be phased out, as the Second Air Force began ramping up training of B-29 Superfortress Very Heavy bomb groups, destined for Twentieth Air Force.

Facts about Ebadon Airstrip (EBN):

• The furthest airport from Ebadon Airstrip (EBN) is RAF Ascension (ASI), which is nearly antipodal to Ebadon Airstrip (meaning Ebadon Airstrip is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from RAF Ascension), and is located 12,282 miles (19,767 kilometers) away in Georgetown, Ascension Island, Saint Helena.
• The closest airport to Ebadon Airstrip (EBN) is Bucholz Army Airfield (KWA), which is located only 0 mile (0 kilometer) NNW of EBN.
• The atoll lies in the Ralik Chain, 2,100 nautical miles southwest of Honolulu, Hawaii, at 8°43′N 167°44′E / 8.717°N 167.733°E / 8.717.
• The water temperature averages 81 °F degrees and underwater visibility is typically 100 feet on the ocean side of the atoll.
• Because of Ebadon Airstrip's relatively low elevation of 0 feet, planes can take off or land at Ebadon Airstrip 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.
• Nell has a unique convergence of protected channels and small islands.
• There was some Japanese settlement in Kwajalein Atoll, comprising mostly traders and their families who worked at local branches of shops headquartered at nearby Jaluit Atoll where Japanese civilians numbered in the several hundreds to nearly 1,000 at the height of the Japanese administration.
• Little Bustard and Big Bustard are the first and second islets respectively north of Kwajalein island on the East reef, and are the only islets between Kwajalein and Ebeye.
• Additionally, while many of the native Marshallese successfully fled the island in their canoes just prior to the battle, an estimated 200 were killed on the atoll during the fighting.