Category Archives: Flying

Traveling (Salesman) Pilot

Touring airports

Shortest tour of all airports within each state of the USA, ignoring terrain and airspace. Download Google Earth files for all the tours: I downloaded the FAA Facilities and Runways databases, joined them together, filtered to keep only the longest runway per airport, then filtered based on the criteria above.  Then, for each state and for the USA lower 48, I computed the distance between all airports accounting for the WGS84 ellipsoid earth curvature and took the shortest tour from multiple iterations of solving the traveling salesman problem (TSP).  Finally, I pulled terrain maps using the Google Maps API and plotted the labeled airports and the tour on the map with summaries of the number of airports and the tour distance.  Tables of the tour details are also provided.  State tours are likely to be minimal, but the USA48 tour is likely only (very) close to minimal since the problem is NP-hard. This project came from wondering what it would take and whether it would be fun to visit all of the airports in NM while on a cross-country flight with my brother.

Airports with Paved, 1500+’, Public runways

  • Criteria:
    • USA FAA Airports
    • Surface Asphalt or Concrete in fair or better condition
    • Longest runway length at least 1500′
    • Status open
    • Public use
Some airports may not be labeled when crowded.  Some distances may be greater than the legend maximum.
ST State Airports Dist (nm) Map Tour kml
USA Lower 48 3591 75930 png, pdf html, csv kmz
AK Alaska 53 5895 png, pdf html, csv kmz
AL Alabama 77 1532 png, pdf html, csv kmz
AR Arkansas 93 1727 png, pdf html, csv kmz
AZ Arizona 67 1991 png, pdf html, csv kmz
CA California 229 4109 png, pdf html, csv kmz
CO Colorado 67 1845 png, pdf html, csv kmz
CT Connecticut 17 222 png, pdf html, csv kmz
DC Dist. Of Columbia 3 57 png, pdf html, csv kmz
DE Delaware 6 128 png, pdf html, csv kmz
FL Florida 103 1951 png, pdf html, csv kmz
GA Georgia 101 1906 png, pdf html, csv kmz
HI Hawaii 14 611 png, pdf html, csv kmz
IA Iowa 90 1806 png, pdf html, csv kmz
ID Idaho 52 1476 png, pdf html, csv kmz
IL Illinois 84 1713 png, pdf html, csv kmz
IN Indiana 79 1296 png, pdf html, csv kmz
KS Kansas 111 2369 png, pdf html, csv kmz
KY Kentucky 56 1270 png, pdf html, csv kmz
LA Louisiana 66 1266 png, pdf html, csv kmz
MA Massachusetts 35 534 png, pdf html, csv kmz
MD Maryland 29 615 png, pdf html, csv kmz
ME Maine 38 901 png, pdf html, csv kmz
MI Michigan 120 2283 png, pdf html, csv kmz
MN Minnesota 114 2469 png, pdf html, csv kmz
MO Missouri 108 2082 png, pdf html, csv kmz
MS Mississippi 76 1463 png, pdf html, csv kmz
MT Montana 74 2408 png, pdf html, csv kmz
NC North Carolina 85 1735 png, pdf html, csv kmz
ND North Dakota 71 1737 png, pdf html, csv kmz
NE Nebraska 76 1846 png, pdf html, csv kmz
NH New Hampshire 16 352 png, pdf html, csv kmz
NJ New Jersey 31 390 png, pdf html, csv kmz
NM New Mexico 52 1936 png, pdf html, csv kmz
NV Nevada 33 1383 png, pdf html, csv kmz
NY New York 83 1585 png, pdf html, csv kmz
OH Ohio 110 1636 png, pdf html, csv kmz
OK Oklahoma 110 2199 png, pdf html, csv kmz
OR Oregon 74 1912 png, pdf html, csv kmz
PA Pennsylvania 88 1408 png, pdf html, csv kmz
RI Rhode Island 7 107 png, pdf html, csv kmz
SC South Carolina 57 1027 png, pdf html, csv kmz
SD South Dakota 56 1667 png, pdf html, csv kmz
TN Tennessee 75 1458 png, pdf html, csv kmz
TX Texas 305 6641 png, pdf html, csv kmz
UT Utah 45 1387 png, pdf html, csv kmz
VA Virginia 58 1314 png, pdf html, csv kmz
VT Vermont 11 318 png, pdf html, csv kmz
WA Washington 96 1837 png, pdf html, csv kmz
WI Wisconsin 95 1789 png, pdf html, csv kmz
WV West Virginia 27 794 png, pdf html, csv kmz
WY Wyoming 35 1455 png, pdf html, csv kmz
AS American Samoa 3 151 png, pdf html, csv kmz
GU Guam 1 0 png, pdf html, csv kmz
MP N Mariana Islands 3 127 png, pdf html, csv kmz
PR Puerto Rico 8 201 png, pdf html, csv kmz
QM Midway Islands 1 0 png, pdf html, csv kmz
VI Virgin Islands 2 79 png, pdf html, csv kmz

Airports with Grass or Dirt runways (backcountry)

  • Criteria:
    • USA FAA Airports
    • Surface Grass, Turf, Dirt, Gravel, or Sand in any condition
    • Status open
    • Public or private use
Some airports may not be labeled when crowded.  Some distances may be greater than the legend maximum.
ST State Airports Dist (nm) Map Tour kml
USA Lower 48 8228 91843 png, pdf html, csv kmz
AK Alaska 514 10789 png, pdf html, csv kmz
AL Alabama 88 1304 png, pdf html, csv kmz
AR Arkansas 118 1557 png, pdf html, csv kmz
AZ Arizona 88 1746 png, pdf html, csv kmz
CA California 144 3166 png, pdf html, csv kmz
CO Colorado 204 2438 png, pdf html, csv kmz
CT Connecticut 30 287 png, pdf html, csv kmz
DE Delaware 22 166 png, pdf html, csv kmz
FL Florida 330 2800 png, pdf html, csv kmz
GA Georgia 208 2066 png, pdf html, csv kmz
HI Hawaii 5 352 png, pdf html, csv kmz
IA Iowa 122 1858 png, pdf html, csv kmz
ID Idaho 179 2544 png, pdf html, csv kmz
IL Illinois 361 3002 png, pdf html, csv kmz
IN Indiana 294 2048 png, pdf html, csv kmz
KS Kansas 258 2744 png, pdf html, csv kmz
KY Kentucky 79 1124 png, pdf html, csv kmz
LA Louisiana 163 1627 png, pdf html, csv kmz
MA Massachusetts 36 436 png, pdf html, csv kmz
MD Maryland 106 841 png, pdf html, csv kmz
ME Maine 79 1069 png, pdf html, csv kmz
MI Michigan 242 2447 png, pdf html, csv kmz
MN Minnesota 228 2846 png, pdf html, csv kmz
MO Missouri 247 2673 png, pdf html, csv kmz
MS Mississippi 96 1351 png, pdf html, csv kmz
MT Montana 183 3175 png, pdf html, csv kmz
NC North Carolina 222 2209 png, pdf html, csv kmz
ND North Dakota 207 2507 png, pdf html, csv kmz
NE Nebraska 146 2140 png, pdf html, csv kmz
NH New Hampshire 35 438 png, pdf html, csv kmz
NJ New Jersey 58 401 png, pdf html, csv kmz
NM New Mexico 72 2021 png, pdf html, csv kmz
NV Nevada 59 1680 png, pdf html, csv kmz
NY New York 269 2392 png, pdf html, csv kmz
OH Ohio 287 2137 png, pdf html, csv kmz
OK Oklahoma 239 2335 png, pdf html, csv kmz
OR Oregon 223 2595 png, pdf html, csv kmz
PA Pennsylvania 296 2425 png, pdf html, csv kmz
RI Rhode Island 2 61 png, pdf html, csv kmz
SC South Carolina 87 1099 png, pdf html, csv kmz
SD South Dakota 110 2032 png, pdf html, csv kmz
TN Tennessee 132 1487 png, pdf html, csv kmz
TX Texas 945 9513 png, pdf html, csv kmz
UT Utah 45 1279 png, pdf html, csv kmz
VA Virginia 197 1882 png, pdf html, csv kmz
VT Vermont 48 477 png, pdf html, csv kmz
WA Washington 222 2366 png, pdf html, csv kmz
WI Wisconsin 323 2798 png, pdf html, csv kmz
WV West Virginia 35 742 png, pdf html, csv kmz
WY Wyoming 64 1590 png, pdf html, csv kmz
MP N Mariana Islands 1 0 png, pdf html, csv kmz
PR Puerto Rico 2 97 png, pdf html, csv kmz

All Airports

  • Criteria:
    • USA FAA Airports
    • All in any condition
    • Status open
    • Public or private use
Some airports may not be labeled when crowded.  Some distances may be greater than the legend maximum.
ST State Airports Dist (nm) Map Tour kml
USA Lower 48 12435 123426 png, pdf html, csv kmz
AK Alaska 571 12595 png, pdf html, csv kmz
AL Alabama 177 2041 png, pdf html, csv kmz
AR Arkansas 224 2340 png, pdf html, csv kmz
AZ Arizona 185 2893 png, pdf html, csv kmz
CA California 490 5879 png, pdf html, csv kmz
CO Colorado 268 3106 png, pdf html, csv kmz
CT Connecticut 48 367 png, pdf html, csv kmz
DC Dist. Of Columbia 3 57 png, pdf html, csv kmz
DE Delaware 29 192 png, pdf html, csv kmz
FL Florida 485 3668 png, pdf html, csv kmz
GA Georgia 330 2917 png, pdf html, csv kmz
HI Hawaii 31 1465 png, pdf html, csv kmz
IA Iowa 192 2484 png, pdf html, csv kmz
ID Idaho 243 2934 png, pdf html, csv kmz
IL Illinois 440 3344 png, pdf html, csv kmz
IN Indiana 372 2514 png, pdf html, csv kmz
KS Kansas 341 3508 png, pdf html, csv kmz
KY Kentucky 147 1672 png, pdf html, csv kmz
LA Louisiana 245 2141 png, pdf html, csv kmz
MA Massachusetts 70 657 png, pdf html, csv kmz
MD Maryland 146 1008 png, pdf html, csv kmz
ME Maine 119 1312 png, pdf html, csv kmz
MI Michigan 337 3340 png, pdf html, csv kmz
MN Minnesota 317 3635 png, pdf html, csv kmz
MO Missouri 369 3426 png, pdf html, csv kmz
MS Mississippi 187 2147 png, pdf html, csv kmz
MT Montana 255 3986 png, pdf html, csv kmz
NC North Carolina 341 2958 png, pdf html, csv kmz
ND North Dakota 263 2897 png, pdf html, csv kmz
NE Nebraska 210 2778 png, pdf html, csv kmz
NH New Hampshire 56 551 png, pdf html, csv kmz
NJ New Jersey 96 585 png, pdf html, csv kmz
NM New Mexico 132 2775 png, pdf html, csv kmz
NV Nevada 100 2150 png, pdf html, csv kmz
NY New York 352 2817 png, pdf html, csv kmz
OH Ohio 409 2811 png, pdf html, csv kmz
OK Oklahoma 364 3354 png, pdf html, csv kmz
OR Oregon 325 3394 png, pdf html, csv kmz
PA Pennsylvania 393 2867 png, pdf html, csv kmz
RI Rhode Island 9 125 png, pdf html, csv kmz
SC South Carolina 157 1554 png, pdf html, csv kmz
SD South Dakota 146 2437 png, pdf html, csv kmz
TN Tennessee 222 2143 png, pdf html, csv kmz
TX Texas 1472 12660 png, pdf html, csv kmz
UT Utah 95 1930 png, pdf html, csv kmz
VA Virginia 279 2290 png, pdf html, csv kmz
VT Vermont 60 541 png, pdf html, csv kmz
WA Washington 357 3119 png, pdf html, csv kmz
WI Wisconsin 411 3239 png, pdf html, csv kmz
WV West Virginia 71 1029 png, pdf html, csv kmz
WY Wyoming 96 2065 png, pdf html, csv kmz
AS American Samoa 3 151 png, pdf html, csv kmz
GU Guam 2 20 png, pdf html, csv kmz
MP N Mariana Islands 4 481 png, pdf html, csv kmz
PR Puerto Rico 14 253 png, pdf html, csv kmz
QM Midway Islands 1 0 png, pdf html, csv kmz
QW Wake Island 1 0 png, pdf html, csv kmz
VI Virgin Islands 2 79 png, pdf html, csv kmz

... more

Touring airports

Shortest tour of all airports within each state of the USA, ignoring terrain and airspace. Download Google Earth files for all the tours: I downloaded the FAA Facilities and Runways databases, joined them together, filtered to keep only the longest runway per airport, then filtered based on the criteria above.  Then, for each state and for the USA lower 48, I computed the distance between all airports accounting for the WGS84 ellipsoid earth curvature and took the shortest tour from multiple iterations of solving the traveling salesman problem (TSP).  Finally, I pulled terrain maps using the Google Maps API and plotted the labeled airports and the tour on the map with summaries of the number of airports and the tour distance.  Tables of the tour details are also provided.  State tours are likely to be minimal, but the USA48 tour is likely only (very) close to minimal since the problem is NP-hard. This project came from wondering what it would take and whether it would be fun to visit all of the airports in NM while on a cross-country flight with my brother.

Airports with Paved, 1500+’, Public runways

  • Criteria:
    • USA FAA Airports
    • Surface Asphalt or Concrete in fair or better condition
    • Longest runway length at least 1500′
    • Status open
    • Public use
Some airports may not be labeled when crowded.  Some distances may be greater than the legend maximum.
ST State Airports Dist (nm) Map Tour kml
USA Lower 48 3591 75930 png, pdf html, csv kmz
AK Alaska 53 5895 png, pdf html, csv kmz
AL Alabama 77 1532 png, pdf html, csv kmz
AR Arkansas 93 1727 png, pdf html, csv kmz
AZ Arizona 67 1991 png, pdf html, csv kmz
CA California 229 4109 png, pdf html, csv kmz
CO Colorado 67 1845 png, pdf html, csv kmz
CT Connecticut 17 222 png, pdf html, csv kmz
DC Dist. Of Columbia 3 57 png, pdf html, csv kmz
DE Delaware 6 128 png, pdf html, csv kmz
FL Florida 103 1951 png, pdf html, csv kmz
GA Georgia 101 1906 png, pdf html, csv kmz
HI Hawaii 14 611 png, pdf html, csv kmz
IA Iowa 90 1806 png, pdf html, csv kmz
ID Idaho 52 1476 png, pdf html, csv kmz
IL Illinois 84 1713 png, pdf html, csv kmz
IN Indiana 79 1296 png, pdf html, csv kmz
KS Kansas 111 2369 png, pdf html, csv kmz
KY Kentucky 56 1270 png, pdf html, csv kmz
LA Louisiana 66 1266 png, pdf html, csv kmz
MA Massachusetts 35 534 png, pdf html, csv kmz
MD Maryland 29 615 png, pdf html, csv kmz
ME Maine 38 901 png, pdf html, csv kmz
MI Michigan 120 2283 png, pdf html, csv kmz
MN Minnesota 114 2469 png, pdf html, csv kmz
MO Missouri 108 2082 png, pdf html, csv kmz
MS Mississippi 76 1463 png, pdf html, csv kmz
MT Montana 74 2408 png, pdf html, csv kmz
NC North Carolina 85 1735 png, pdf html, csv kmz
ND North Dakota 71 1737 png, pdf html, csv kmz
NE Nebraska 76 1846 png, pdf html, csv kmz
NH New Hampshire 16 352 png, pdf html, csv kmz
NJ New Jersey 31 390 png, pdf html, csv kmz
NM New Mexico 52 1936 png, pdf html, csv kmz
NV Nevada 33 1383 png, pdf html, csv kmz
NY New York 83 1585 png, pdf html, csv kmz
OH Ohio 110 1636 png, pdf html, csv kmz
OK Oklahoma 110 2199 png, pdf html, csv kmz
OR Oregon 74 1912 png, pdf html, csv kmz
PA Pennsylvania 88 1408 png, pdf html, csv kmz
RI Rhode Island 7 107 png, pdf html, csv kmz
SC South Carolina 57 1027 png, pdf html, csv kmz
SD South Dakota 56 1667 png, pdf html, csv kmz
TN Tennessee 75 1458 png, pdf html, csv kmz
TX Texas 305 6641 png, pdf html, csv kmz
UT Utah 45 1387 png, pdf html, csv kmz
VA Virginia 58 1314 png, pdf html, csv kmz
VT Vermont 11 318 png, pdf html, csv kmz
WA Washington 96 1837 png, pdf html, csv kmz
WI Wisconsin 95 1789 png, pdf html, csv kmz
WV West Virginia 27 794 png, pdf html, csv kmz
WY Wyoming 35 1455 png, pdf html, csv kmz
AS American Samoa 3 151 png, pdf html, csv kmz
GU Guam 1 0 png, pdf html, csv kmz
MP N Mariana Islands 3 127 png, pdf html, csv kmz
PR Puerto Rico 8 201 png, pdf html, csv kmz
QM Midway Islands 1 0 png, pdf html, csv kmz
VI Virgin Islands 2 79 png, pdf html, csv kmz

Airports with Grass or Dirt runways (backcountry)

  • Criteria:
    • USA FAA Airports
    • Surface Grass, Turf, Dirt, Gravel, or Sand in any condition
    • Status open
    • Public or private use
Some airports may not be labeled when crowded.  Some distances may be greater than the legend maximum.
ST State Airports Dist (nm) Map Tour kml
USA Lower 48 8228 91843 png, pdf html, csv kmz
AK Alaska 514 10789 png, pdf html, csv kmz
AL Alabama 88 1304 png, pdf html, csv kmz
AR Arkansas 118 1557 png, pdf html, csv kmz
AZ Arizona 88 1746 png, pdf html, csv kmz
CA California 144 3166 png, pdf html, csv kmz
CO Colorado 204 2438 png, pdf html, csv kmz
CT Connecticut 30 287 png, pdf html, csv kmz
DE Delaware 22 166 png, pdf html, csv kmz
FL Florida 330 2800 png, pdf html, csv kmz
GA Georgia 208 2066 png, pdf html, csv kmz
HI Hawaii 5 352 png, pdf html, csv kmz
IA Iowa 122 1858 png, pdf html, csv kmz
ID Idaho 179 2544 png, pdf html, csv kmz
IL Illinois 361 3002 png, pdf html, csv kmz
IN Indiana 294 2048 png, pdf html, csv kmz
KS Kansas 258 2744 png, pdf html, csv kmz
KY Kentucky 79 1124 png, pdf html, csv kmz
LA Louisiana 163 1627 png, pdf html, csv kmz
MA Massachusetts 36 436 png, pdf html, csv kmz
MD Maryland 106 841 png, pdf html, csv kmz
ME Maine 79 1069 png, pdf html, csv kmz
MI Michigan 242 2447 png, pdf html, csv kmz
MN Minnesota 228 2846 png, pdf html, csv kmz
MO Missouri 247 2673 png, pdf html, csv kmz
MS Mississippi 96 1351 png, pdf html, csv kmz
MT Montana 183 3175 png, pdf html, csv kmz
NC North Carolina 222 2209 png, pdf html, csv kmz
ND North Dakota 207 2507 png, pdf html, csv kmz
NE Nebraska 146 2140 png, pdf html, csv kmz
NH New Hampshire 35 438 png, pdf html, csv kmz
NJ New Jersey 58 401 png, pdf html, csv kmz
NM New Mexico 72 2021 png, pdf html, csv kmz
NV Nevada 59 1680 png, pdf html, csv kmz
NY New York 269 2392 png, pdf html, csv kmz
OH Ohio 287 2137 png, pdf html, csv kmz
OK Oklahoma 239 2335 png, pdf html, csv kmz
OR Oregon 223 2595 png, pdf html, csv kmz
PA Pennsylvania 296 2425 png, pdf html, csv kmz
RI Rhode Island 2 61 png, pdf html, csv kmz
SC South Carolina 87 1099 png, pdf html, csv kmz
SD South Dakota 110 2032 png, pdf html, csv kmz
TN Tennessee 132 1487 png, pdf html, csv kmz
TX Texas 945 9513 png, pdf html, csv kmz
UT Utah 45 1279 png, pdf html, csv kmz
VA Virginia 197 1882 png, pdf html, csv kmz
VT Vermont 48 477 png, pdf html, csv kmz
WA Washington 222 2366 png, pdf html, csv kmz
WI Wisconsin 323 2798 png, pdf html, csv kmz
WV West Virginia 35 742 png, pdf html, csv kmz
WY Wyoming 64 1590 png, pdf html, csv kmz
MP N Mariana Islands 1 0 png, pdf html, csv kmz
PR Puerto Rico 2 97 png, pdf html, csv kmz

All Airports

  • Criteria:
    • USA FAA Airports
    • All in any condition
    • Status open
    • Public or private use
Some airports may not be labeled when crowded.  Some distances may be greater than the legend maximum.
ST State Airports Dist (nm) Map Tour kml
USA Lower 48 12435 123426 png, pdf html, csv kmz
AK Alaska 571 12595 png, pdf html, csv kmz
AL Alabama 177 2041 png, pdf html, csv kmz
AR Arkansas 224 2340 png, pdf html, csv kmz
AZ Arizona 185 2893 png, pdf html, csv kmz
CA California 490 5879 png, pdf html, csv kmz
CO Colorado 268 3106 png, pdf html, csv kmz
CT Connecticut 48 367 png, pdf html, csv kmz
DC Dist. Of Columbia 3 57 png, pdf html, csv kmz
DE Delaware 29 192 png, pdf html, csv kmz
FL Florida 485 3668 png, pdf html, csv kmz
GA Georgia 330 2917 png, pdf html, csv kmz
HI Hawaii 31 1465 png, pdf html, csv kmz
IA Iowa 192 2484 png, pdf html, csv kmz
ID Idaho 243 2934 png, pdf html, csv kmz
IL Illinois 440 3344 png, pdf html, csv kmz
IN Indiana 372 2514 png, pdf html, csv kmz
KS Kansas 341 3508 png, pdf html, csv kmz
KY Kentucky 147 1672 png, pdf html, csv kmz
LA Louisiana 245 2141 png, pdf html, csv kmz
MA Massachusetts 70 657 png, pdf html, csv kmz
MD Maryland 146 1008 png, pdf html, csv kmz
ME Maine 119 1312 png, pdf html, csv kmz
MI Michigan 337 3340 png, pdf html, csv kmz
MN Minnesota 317 3635 png, pdf html, csv kmz
MO Missouri 369 3426 png, pdf html, csv kmz
MS Mississippi 187 2147 png, pdf html, csv kmz
MT Montana 255 3986 png, pdf html, csv kmz
NC North Carolina 341 2958 png, pdf html, csv kmz
ND North Dakota 263 2897 png, pdf html, csv kmz
NE Nebraska 210 2778 png, pdf html, csv kmz
NH New Hampshire 56 551 png, pdf html, csv kmz
NJ New Jersey 96 585 png, pdf html, csv kmz
NM New Mexico 132 2775 png, pdf html, csv kmz
NV Nevada 100 2150 png, pdf html, csv kmz
NY New York 352 2817 png, pdf html, csv kmz
OH Ohio 409 2811 png, pdf html, csv kmz
OK Oklahoma 364 3354 png, pdf html, csv kmz
OR Oregon 325 3394 png, pdf html, csv kmz
PA Pennsylvania 393 2867 png, pdf html, csv kmz
RI Rhode Island 9 125 png, pdf html, csv kmz
SC South Carolina 157 1554 png, pdf html, csv kmz
SD South Dakota 146 2437 png, pdf html, csv kmz
TN Tennessee 222 2143 png, pdf html, csv kmz
TX Texas 1472 12660 png, pdf html, csv kmz
UT Utah 95 1930 png, pdf html, csv kmz
VA Virginia 279 2290 png, pdf html, csv kmz
VT Vermont 60 541 png, pdf html, csv kmz
WA Washington 357 3119 png, pdf html, csv kmz
WI Wisconsin 411 3239 png, pdf html, csv kmz
WV West Virginia 71 1029 png, pdf html, csv kmz
WY Wyoming 96 2065 png, pdf html, csv kmz
AS American Samoa 3 151 png, pdf html, csv kmz
GU Guam 2 20 png, pdf html, csv kmz
MP N Mariana Islands 4 481 png, pdf html, csv kmz
PR Puerto Rico 14 253 png, pdf html, csv kmz
QM Midway Islands 1 0 png, pdf html, csv kmz
QW Wake Island 1 0 png, pdf html, csv kmz
VI Virgin Islands 2 79 png, pdf html, csv kmz

... more