Nonstop flight route between Comayagua, Honduras and Oak Harbor, Washington, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Soto Cano Air Base (XPL), Comayagua, Honduras and NAS Whidbey Island (NUW), Oak Harbor, Washington, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 3,078 miles (or 4,953 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 Soto Cano Air Base and NAS Whidbey Island, 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 Soto Cano Air Base and NAS Whidbey Island. 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 Soto Cano Air Base (XPL):

• Soto Cano Air Base (XPL) currently has only 1 runway.
• The closest airport to Soto Cano Air Base (XPL) is Marcala Airport (MRJ), which is located 32 miles (51 kilometers) WSW of XPL.
• The US government once used Palmerola as a base of operations to support their foreign policy objectives in the 1980s.
• In addition to the Honduran Air Force Academy, the US military's Joint Task Force Bravo is headquartered at Soto Cano.
• Personnel assigned to Soto Cano can ride a bus that will transport them to Soto Cano from Tegucigalpa.
• As of January 2008, all 44 of the apartment buildings were finished and already occupied.
• The hooches and metal barracks have no running water.
• In 1990 Honduran President Rafael Leonardo Callejas decreed that commercial cargo flights were authorized to operate from Soto Cano.
• The furthest airport from Soto Cano Air Base (XPL) is Cocos (Keeling) Island Airport (CCK), which is nearly antipodal to Soto Cano Air Base (meaning Soto Cano Air Base is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Cocos (Keeling) Island Airport), and is located 12,101 miles (19,475 kilometers) away in Cocos Islands, Australia.

Facts about NAS Whidbey Island (NUW):

• Over 50 tenant commands are also located at NAS Whidbey Island, providing training, medical and dental, and other support services, including a Marine Aviation Training Support Group for Whidbey’s staff and student Marine Corps personnel.
• In 1997 The last Pacific Based A-6E Intruder Squadron VA-196 "Milestones" decommissioned following a lengthy deployment for WESTPAC 1996.
• On September 21, 1942, the air station's first Commanding Officer, CAPT Cyril Thomas Simard, read the orders and the watch was set.
• A lightly utilized satellite airfield, Naval Outlying Landing Field Coupeville, is located on central Whidbey Island at 48°11′24″N 122°37′48″W / 48.19000°N 122.63000°W / 48.19000.
• The furthest airport from NAS Whidbey Island (NUW) is Tôlanaro Airport (FTU), which is located 10,730 miles (17,268 kilometers) away in Tôlanaro, Madagascar.
• In early 1965, patrol squadrons began to leave NAS Whidbey.
• Because of NAS Whidbey Island's relatively low elevation of 47 feet, planes can take off or land at NAS Whidbey Island 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 other section of the air station is known as the Seaplane Base.
• In addition to being known as "NAS Whidbey Island", another name for NUW is "Ault Field".
• During the Korean War, patrol plane activity was stepped up again with several Naval Air Reserve units being called up and redesignated as active duty squadrons.
• The closest airport to NAS Whidbey Island (NUW) is A.J. Eisenberg Airport (ODW), which is located only 7 miles (11 kilometers) S of NUW.
• NAS Whidbey Island (NUW) has 2 runways.