Nonstop flight route between Tacoma, Washington, United States and Timika, Papua, Indonesia:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between McChord Field/McChord AFB (TCM), Tacoma, Washington, United States and Mozes Kilangin Airport (TIM), Timika, Papua, Indonesia would travel a Great Circle distance of 6,947 miles (or 11,180 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 Mozes Kilangin 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 Mozes Kilangin 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 McChord Field/McChord AFB (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.
• McChord Field/McChord AFB (TCM) has 2 runways.
• Other wing components are the 62d Maintenance Group, 62d Mission Support Group and 62d Medical Squadron.
• The 325th Fighter Group operated two squadrons of F-82F Twin Mustangs from McChord between 1948 and 1950, the first postwar fighter optimized for the air defense interceptor mission.
• The ADC radar site was deactivated 1 April 1960 and repositioned to Fort Lawton AFS where the Air Force consolidated its anti-aircraft radars with the United States Army Seattle Defense Area Army Air-Defense Command Post S-90DC for Nike missile operations.
• 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.
• 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.
• In addition to being known as "McChord Field/McChord AFB", another name for TCM is "Part of Air Mobility Command (AMC)".
• 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.
• 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.

Facts about Mozes Kilangin Airport (TIM):

• In the ensuing shoot-out with military personnel, Sanurip killed a total of 16 people - 3 Kopassus officers, 8 ABRI soldiers and 5 civilians, one of them Airfast pilot Michael Findlay from New Zealand - and injured another 11, before he was wounded in the leg and subdued by fellow soldiers.
• The closest airport to Mozes Kilangin Airport (TIM) is Enarotali Airport (EWI), which is located 54 miles (88 kilometers) NW of TIM.
• The shooting was allegedly sparked when an army transporter, carrying 2 dead soldiers, who, according to differing reports, were either killed by OPM members during the hostage rescue operation, or hacked to death by villagers who had accused them of raping two women, made a fuel stop at Timika airport, and Lieutenant Sanurip realised that one of the two was a friend of his.
• The furthest airport from Mozes Kilangin Airport (TIM) is Marechal Cunha Machado International Airport (Tirirical) (SLZ), which is located 11,939 miles (19,214 kilometers) away in São Luís, Brazil.
• On April 15, 1996 at about 5 a.m., Second Lieutenant Sanurip, 36, a member of Kopassus, who was assigned to take part at a military operation to secure the release of 11 hostages being held by the Free Papua Movement, began shooting indiscriminately with an automatic weapon at people near an army-run aircraft hangar.