Nonstop flight route between Spokane, Washington, United States and Yamagata, Honshū, Japan:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from SKA to GAJ:
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- About this route
- SKA Airport Information
- GAJ Airport Information
- Facts about SKA
- Facts about GAJ
- Map of Nearest Airports to SKA
- List of Nearest Airports to SKA
- Map of Furthest Airports from SKA
- List of Furthest Airports from SKA
- Map of Nearest Airports to GAJ
- List of Nearest Airports to GAJ
- Map of Furthest Airports from GAJ
- List of Furthest Airports from GAJ
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Fairchild Air Force Base (SKA), Spokane, Washington, United States and Yamagata Airport (GAJ), Yamagata, Honshū, Japan would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,806 miles (or 7,734 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 Fairchild Air Force Base and Yamagata 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 Fairchild Air Force Base and Yamagata Airport. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | SKA / KSKA |
Airport Names: |
|
Location: | Spokane, Washington, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 47°36'54"N by 117°39'20"W |
View all routes: | Routes from SKA |
More Information: | SKA Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | GAJ / RJSC |
Airport Names: |
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Location: | Yamagata, Honshū, Japan |
GPS Coordinates: | 38°24'42"N by 140°22'15"E |
Area Served: | Yamagata |
Airport Type: | Military/Public |
Elevation: | 345 feet (105 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from GAJ |
More Information: | GAJ Maps & Info |
Facts about Fairchild Air Force Base (SKA):
- From 1942 until 1946, the base served as a repair depot for damaged aircraft returning from the Pacific Theater.
- On 1 July 1994, the 92d Bomb Wing was re-designated the 92d Air Refueling Wing, and Fairchild AFB was transferred from ACC to Air Mobility Command in a ceremony marking the creation of the largest air refueling wing in the Air Force.
- 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.
- 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".
- As military operations in Vietnam escalated in the mid-1960s, the demand for air refueling increased.
- The host unit at Fairchild is the 92d Air Refueling Wing assigned to the Air Mobility Command's Eighteenth Air Force.
- Fairchild’s location, 12 miles west of Spokane, resulted from a competition with the cities of Seattle and Everett in western Washington.
Facts about Yamagata Airport (GAJ):
- During the aftermath of the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, American troops used Yamagata Airport as a base for transporting fuel and materials to the disaster areas.
- The closest airport to Yamagata Airport (GAJ) is Sendai Airport (SDJ), which is located 35 miles (56 kilometers) ESE of GAJ.
- Because of Yamagata Airport's relatively low elevation of 345 feet, planes can take off or land at Yamagata 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 Yamagata Airport (GAJ) is Rio Grande Regional Airport (RIG), which is located 11,606 miles (18,679 kilometers) away in Rio Grande, Brazil.
- In addition to being known as "Yamagata Airport", another name for GAJ is "山形空港".
- Yamagata Airport (GAJ) currently has only 1 runway.