Nonstop flight route between Iejima, Japan and Braintree, England, United Kingdom:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Iejima Airport (IEJ), Iejima, Japan and MDPGA Wethersfield (WXF), Braintree, England, United Kingdom would travel a Great Circle distance of 6,136 miles (or 9,874 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 Iejima Airport and MDPGA Wethersfield, 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 Iejima Airport and MDPGA Wethersfield. 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 Iejima Airport (IEJ):

• Because of Iejima Airport's relatively low elevation of 238 feet, planes can take off or land at Iejima 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.
• Iejima Airport (IEJ) currently has only 1 runway.
• In addition to being known as "Iejima Airport", another name for IEJ is "伊江島空港".
• The furthest airport from Iejima Airport (IEJ) is Olavo Cecco Rigon Airport (CCI), which is nearly antipodal to Iejima Airport (meaning Iejima Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Olavo Cecco Rigon Airport), and is located 12,404 miles (19,962 kilometers) away in Concórdia, Amazonas, Brazil.
• The closest airport to Iejima Airport (IEJ) is Kadena Air Base 嘉手納飛行場 Kadena Hikōjō (DNA), which is located 26 miles (41 kilometers) S of IEJ.

Facts about MDPGA Wethersfield (WXF):

• The fighter squadrons of the 20th had been in constant rotation since the arrival of the wing at Wethersfield in 1952.
• The closest airport to MDPGA Wethersfield (WXF) is London Stansted Airport (STN), which is located only 13 miles (21 kilometers) WSW of WXF.
• All three wartime-era runways and connecting taxiways, as well as many wartime loop-type dispersal hardstands, remain in good condition.
• The furthest airport from MDPGA Wethersfield (WXF) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is located 11,856 miles (19,080 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
• Soon after the Americans departed for France, Wethersfield was returned to RAF control, becoming the home for 196 and 299 Squadrons, 38 Group, RAF Bomber Command.
• During the late 1940s the base was used as a winter camping ground for Chipperfield's Circus.
• In addition to being known as "MDPGA Wethersfield", another name for WXF is "RAF Wethersfield".
• Formerly known as RAF Wethersfield, it opened in 1944.
• The closure of US bases in France forced the opening of RAF Greenham Common under 20th TFW management to handle personnel overflow beginning in January 1967.
• The 20th Fighter Bomber Wing established an operational detachment at Wheelus AB, Libya, in February 1958.
• Because of MDPGA Wethersfield's relatively low elevation of 322 feet, planes can take off or land at MDPGA Wethersfield 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.
• Wethersfield was allocated by the RAF to the United States Army Air Forces Ninth Air Force in August 1942.
• MDPGA Wethersfield (WXF) has 3 runways.
• In 1978 the British and American Governments agreed to establish a Rapid Engineer Deployable Heavy Operational Repair Squadron Engineers unit in the UK.