Nonstop flight route between Tacoma, Washington, United States and Fair Isle, Scotland, United Kingdom:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from TCM to FIE:
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- About this route
- TCM Airport Information
- FIE Airport Information
- Facts about TCM
- Facts about FIE
- Map of Nearest Airports to TCM
- List of Nearest Airports to TCM
- Map of Furthest Airports from TCM
- List of Furthest Airports from TCM
- Map of Nearest Airports to FIE
- List of Nearest Airports to FIE
- Map of Furthest Airports from FIE
- List of Furthest Airports from FIE
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between McChord Field/McChord AFB (TCM), Tacoma, Washington, United States and Fair Isle Airport (FIE), Fair Isle, Scotland, United Kingdom would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,349 miles (or 6,998 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 Fair Isle 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 McChord Field/McChord AFB and Fair Isle Airport. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | TCM / KTCM |
Airport Names: |
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Location: | Tacoma, Washington, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 47°8'16"N by 122°28'35"W |
Operator/Owner: | U.S. Air Force |
Airport Type: | Military: Air Force Base |
Elevation: | 322 feet (98 meters) |
# of Runways: | 2 |
View all routes: | Routes from TCM |
More Information: | TCM Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | FIE / EGEF |
Airport Name: | Fair Isle Airport |
Location: | Fair Isle, Scotland, United Kingdom |
GPS Coordinates: | 59°32'4"N by 1°37'42"W |
Airport Type: | Private |
Elevation: | 237 feet (72 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from FIE |
More Information: | FIE Maps & Info |
Facts about McChord Field/McChord AFB (TCM):
- 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.
- 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 base was the location of the first of twenty-eight stations built by ADC as part of the permanent air defense radar network, and was the top-priority site for ADC radars.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- In 1917, the citizens of Pierce County, Washington approved a bond measure for $2,000,000 to buy 70,000 acres of land to be donated to the Federal Government for use as a military reservation.
- In 1958, a Semi Automatic Ground Environment Data Center, and Combat Center was established at McChord.
- In addition to being known as "McChord Field/McChord AFB", another name for TCM is "Part of Air Mobility Command (AMC)".
- McChord Field/McChord AFB (TCM) has 2 runways.
- During the International Geophysical Year 1957–1958, and subsequently through 1962 the 62d TCW supported scientific stations in the Arctic Ocean by airlanding and airdropping supplies on the drifting ice.
- 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.
Facts about Fair Isle Airport (FIE):
- The furthest airport from Fair Isle Airport (FIE) is Ryan's Creek Aerodrome (SZS), which is located 11,468 miles (18,457 kilometers) away in Stewart Island, New Zealand.
- Because of Fair Isle Airport's relatively low elevation of 237 feet, planes can take off or land at Fair Isle 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.
- Fair Isle Airport (FIE) currently has only 1 runway.
- The closest airport to Fair Isle Airport (FIE) is Sumburgh Airport (LSI), which is located 27 miles (43 kilometers) NNE of FIE.