Nonstop flight route between Taos, New Mexico, United States and Butterworth, South Africa:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Taos Regional Airport (TSM), Taos, New Mexico, United States and RMAF Butterworth (UTE), Butterworth, South Africa would travel a Great Circle distance of 9,086 miles (or 14,622 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 Taos Regional Airport and RMAF Butterworth, 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 Taos Regional Airport and RMAF Butterworth. 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 Taos Regional Airport (TSM):

• Taos Regional Airport (TSM) currently has only 1 runway.
• The furthest airport from Taos Regional Airport (TSM) is Sir Gaëtan Duval Airport (RRG), which is located 11,106 miles (17,873 kilometers) away in Rodrigues Island, Mauritius.
• In addition to being known as "Taos Regional Airport", another name for TSM is "SKX".
• Taos Regional Airport covers an area of 832 acres at an elevation of 7,095 feet above mean sea level.
• Because of Taos Regional Airport's high elevation of 7,095 feet, planes must typically fly at a faster airspeed in order to takeoff or land at TSM. Combined with a high temperature, this could make TSM a "Hot & High" airport, where the air density is lower than it would otherwise be at sea level.
• The closest airport to Taos Regional Airport (TSM) is Ohkay Owingeh Airport (ESO), which is located 36 miles (59 kilometers) SW of TSM.

Facts about RMAF Butterworth (UTE):

• The closest airport to RMAF Butterworth (UTE) is RMAF Butterworth (BWH), which is located only 0 mile (0 kilometer) N of UTE.
• Because of RMAF Butterworth's relatively low elevation of 8 feet, planes can take off or land at RMAF Butterworth 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.
• RMAF Butterworth (UTE) currently has only 1 runway.
• The furthest airport from RMAF Butterworth (UTE) is Cap. FAP Guillermo Concha Iberico International Airport (PIU), which is nearly antipodal to RMAF Butterworth (meaning RMAF Butterworth is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Cap. FAP Guillermo Concha Iberico International Airport), and is located 12,365 miles (19,900 kilometers) away in Piura, Peru.
• During the Malayan Emergency that was to last from 1948 to 1960, RAF as well as RAAF and RNZAF units stationed at the airfield played an active role from 1950 in helping to curb the communist insurgency in the jungles of Malaya by attacking suspected hideouts and harassing the communist guerrillas.
• In addition to being known as "RMAF Butterworth", other names for UTE include "TUDM Butterworth", "BWH" and "WMKB".