Nonstop flight route between Big Rapids, Michigan, United States and Kieta, Bougainville Island, Papua New Guinea:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Roben-Hood Airport (WBR), Big Rapids, Michigan, United States and Kieta/Aropa Airport (KIE), Kieta, Bougainville Island, Papua New Guinea would travel a Great Circle distance of 7,941 miles (or 12,781 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 Roben-Hood Airport and Kieta/Aropa 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 Roben-Hood Airport and Kieta/Aropa 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 Roben-Hood Airport (WBR):

• On July 2, 1930, it was reported that a landing field had been purchased 2 weeks before due to “efforts by the American Legion”.
• Roben-Hood Airport (WBR) has 2 runways.
• In addition to being known as "Roben-Hood Airport", another name for WBR is "RQB".
• Other than a reported visit of 30 Civil Air Patrol airplanes on July 13, 1942, there is little reported activity at the airport until June 1950 when the County returned the field to the City because of CAA urging and other factors.
• Because of Roben-Hood Airport's relatively low elevation of 990 feet, planes can take off or land at Roben-Hood 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 furthest airport from Roben-Hood Airport (WBR) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,143 miles (17,933 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
• The closest airport to Roben-Hood Airport (WBR) is Nartron Field (RCT), which is located only 12 miles (20 kilometers) N of WBR.
• In 1960, the big topic of discussion, spearheaded by Steve Bordano and Lewis Turco, was the possibility of additional hangar construction, to prevent overcrowding and wing-tip damage in the main hangar.

Facts about Kieta/Aropa Airport (KIE):

• The furthest airport from Kieta/Aropa Airport (KIE) is São Filipe Airport (SFL), which is located 11,844 miles (19,061 kilometers) away in Fogo, Cape Verde.
• On 13 February 2012, Papua New Guinea Post-Courier reported that the landowners had announced their intention to reopen the airport.
• Kieta/Aropa Airport (KIE) currently has only 1 runway.
• The closest airport to Kieta/Aropa Airport (KIE) is Balalae Airport (BAS), which is located 49 miles (79 kilometers) SSE of KIE.
• Because of Kieta/Aropa Airport's relatively low elevation of 10 feet, planes can take off or land at Kieta/Aropa 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.
• In addition to being known as "Kieta/Aropa Airport", another name for KIE is "AYIQ".
• The airport was partially destroyed during the Bougainville Crisis of the 1990s and has been closed since then.