Nonstop flight route between Aberdeen, South Dakota, United States and St Athan, Wales, United Kingdom:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Aberdeen Regional AirportAberdeen Army Airfield (ABR), Aberdeen, South Dakota, United States and MoD St Athan (DGX), St Athan, Wales, United Kingdom would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,059 miles (or 6,532 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 Aberdeen Regional AirportAberdeen Army Airfield and MoD St Athan, 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 Aberdeen Regional AirportAberdeen Army Airfield and MoD St Athan. 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 Aberdeen Regional AirportAberdeen Army Airfield (ABR):

• Originally named Aberdeen Municipal Airport, the name was changed to Saunders Field in 1946.
• The closest airport to Aberdeen Regional AirportAberdeen Army Airfield (ABR) is Britton Municipal Airport (TTO), which is located 41 miles (67 kilometers) NE of ABR.
• Aberdeen Regional Airport covers an area of 1,284 acres at an elevation of 1,302 feet above mean sea level.
• In 1923, Aberdeen hosted the first fly-in event in South Dakota.
• Aberdeen Regional AirportAberdeen Army Airfield (ABR) has 2 runways.
• The furthest airport from Aberdeen Regional AirportAberdeen Army Airfield (ABR) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 10,503 miles (16,903 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.

Facts about MoD St Athan (DGX):

• In 2009 building work was due to commence on a new defence training academy with its heart at St Athan.
• After the war, airmen of the Airframe and Engine trades continued to train at St Athan, but in 1955 this training dispersed to RAF Kirkham and RAF Weeton.
• Just before 1100 GMT on 11 February 2009, two Grob Tutor aircraft flying out of St Athan were involved in a mid-air collision in which two Air Training Corps cadets and their instructors, both RAF pilots, died.
• The closest airport to MoD St Athan (DGX) is Cardiff Airport (CWL), which is located only 4 miles (6 kilometers) E of DGX.
• The furthest airport from MoD St Athan (DGX) is Dunedin International Airport (DUD), which is located 11,960 miles (19,248 kilometers) away in Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand.
• The MOD later decided that DARA's 'Fast Jets' and 'Engines' businesses would close by April 2007, although the 'Large Aircraft' business would continue and, on 14 April 2005, the Project Red Dragon super-hangar opened and DARA moved its VC10 operations from its existing 'Twin Peaks' hangar into the new facility.
• MoD St Athan (DGX) currently has only 1 runway.
• Because of MoD St Athan's relatively low elevation of 163 feet, planes can take off or land at MoD St Athan 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.