Nonstop flight route between Tacoma, Washington, United States and Timaru, New Zealand:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between McChord Field/McChord AFB (TCM), Tacoma, Washington, United States and Richard Pearse Airport (Timaru Airport) (TIU), Timaru, New Zealand would travel a Great Circle distance of 7,492 miles (or 12,058 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 Richard Pearse Airport (Timaru 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 Richard Pearse Airport (Timaru 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):

• The 62d Airlift Wing is the host unit at McChord Field.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.

Facts about Richard Pearse Airport (Timaru Airport) (TIU):

• The furthest airport from Richard Pearse Airport (Timaru Airport) (TIU) is A Coruña Airport (LCG), which is nearly antipodal to Richard Pearse Airport (Timaru Airport) (meaning Richard Pearse Airport (Timaru Airport) is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from A Coruña Airport), and is located 12,365 miles (19,899 kilometers) away in A Coruña, Spain.
• Because of Richard Pearse Airport (Timaru Airport)'s relatively low elevation of 89 feet, planes can take off or land at Richard Pearse Airport (Timaru 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.
• Richard Pearse Airport (Timaru Airport) (TIU) has 3 runways.
• The closest airport to Richard Pearse Airport (Timaru Airport) (TIU) is Ashburton Aerodrome (ASG), which is located 40 miles (64 kilometers) NE of TIU.