Nonstop flight route between Valencia, Valencian Community, Spain and Spokane, Washington, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Valencia Airport (VLC), Valencia, Valencian Community, Spain and Fairchild Air Force Base (SKA), Spokane, Washington, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,291 miles (or 8,515 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 Valencia Airport and Fairchild Air Force Base, 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 Valencia Airport and Fairchild Air Force Base. 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 Valencia Airport (VLC):

• Valencia Airport (VLC) currently has only 1 runway.
• A new regional terminal, expanded car parking facilities and apron area have been recently constructed in time for the 2007 America's Cup.
• Because of Valencia Airport's relatively low elevation of 240 feet, planes can take off or land at Valencia 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.
• The closest airport to Valencia Airport (VLC) is Castellón Airport (CDT), which is located 44 miles (71 kilometers) NE of VLC.
• It is the main base of Iberia’s regional carrier Air Nostrum.
• The furthest airport from Valencia Airport (VLC) is Gisborne Airport (GIS), which is nearly antipodal to Valencia Airport (meaning Valencia Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Gisborne Airport), and is located 12,336 miles (19,853 kilometers) away in Gisborne, New Zealand.

Facts about Fairchild Air Force Base (SKA):

• The weapons storage area for the bombers was located south of the runway at Deep Creek Air Force Station, a separate installation constructed from 1950 to 1953 by the Atomic Energy Commission and operated by the Air Materiel Command.
• From 1942 until 1946, the base served as a repair depot for damaged aircraft returning from the Pacific Theater.
• The furthest airport from Fairchild Air Force Base (SKA) is Tôlanaro Airport (FTU), which is located 10,665 miles (17,163 kilometers) away in Tôlanaro, Madagascar.
• In addition to being known as "Fairchild Air Force Base", another name for SKA is "Fairchild AFB".
• Over 5,100 active duty Air Force, Air National Guard, and tenant organization military and civilian employees work on Fairchild, making the base the largest employer in Eastern Washington.
• In June 1992, with the inactivation of Strategic Air Command, the B-52 portion of the wing became part of the newly established Air Combat Command and was re-designated the 92d Bomb Wing.
• The closest airport to Fairchild Air Force Base (SKA) is Spokane International Airport (GEG), which is located only 6 miles (9 kilometers) E of SKA.
• On 15 March 1966, the 336th Combat Crew Training Group was established at Fairchild.
• At the time of the shooting, Fairchild's hospital was an ungated facility.