Nonstop flight route between Alconbury, England, United Kingdom and Greenfield, Indiana, United States:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from AYH to GFD:
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- About this route
- AYH Airport Information
- GFD Airport Information
- Facts about AYH
- Facts about GFD
- Map of Nearest Airports to AYH
- List of Nearest Airports to AYH
- Map of Furthest Airports from AYH
- List of Furthest Airports from AYH
- Map of Nearest Airports to GFD
- List of Nearest Airports to GFD
- Map of Furthest Airports from GFD
- List of Furthest Airports from GFD
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between RAF AlconburyUSAAF Station 102 (AYH), Alconbury, England, United Kingdom and Pope Field (GFD), Greenfield, Indiana, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 3,944 miles (or 6,347 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 RAF AlconburyUSAAF Station 102 and Pope Field, 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 RAF AlconburyUSAAF Station 102 and Pope Field. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure Airport Information:
| IATA / ICAO Codes: | AYH / EGWZ |
| Airport Name: | RAF AlconburyUSAAF Station 102 |
| Location: | Alconbury, England, United Kingdom |
| GPS Coordinates: | 52°21'47"N by 0°13'22"W |
| Operator/Owner: | Ministry of Defence |
| View all routes: | Routes from AYH |
| More Information: | AYH Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
| IATA / ICAO Codes: | GFD / KGFD |
| Airport Name: | Pope Field |
| Location: | Greenfield, Indiana, United States |
| GPS Coordinates: | 39°47'25"N by 85°44'9"W |
| Area Served: | Greenfield, Indiana |
| Operator/Owner: | Pope Airport Inc. |
| Airport Type: | Public use |
| Elevation: | 895 feet (273 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 1 |
| View all routes: | Routes from GFD |
| More Information: | GFD Maps & Info |
Facts about RAF AlconburyUSAAF Station 102 (AYH):
- The construction attracted the attention of the Luftwaffe as the flying field of RAF Alconbury was attacked by German bombers on 16 September 1940, although no serious damage was done.
- RAF Alconbury and RAF Molesworth are the last Second World War-era Eighth Air Force bases in Britain that are still actively in use and controlled by the United States Air Force.
- Squadrons 15 and 40 converted from Battles to Bristol Blenheim bombers, but did not take part in bombing raids with the new type until the German Blitzkrieg was unleashed in May 1940.
- The first American Eighth Air Force unit to take residence at RAF Alconbury was the 93d Bombardment Group, known as the "Travelling Circus" from Fort Myers AAF, Florida on 7 September 1942.
- This was the time of the Blitz, when many parts of Britain were being subjected to an almost nightly series of heavy air raids.
- The furthest airport from RAF AlconburyUSAAF Station 102 (AYH) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is located 11,821 miles (19,024 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
- The closest airport to RAF AlconburyUSAAF Station 102 (AYH) is Cambridge International Airport (CBG), which is located 20 miles (32 kilometers) ESE of AYH.
- Satellite bases were considered one answer to this threat – a landing ground within reasonable road travel distance of the parent airfield to which aircraft could be diverted if the home station was bombed or likely to be attacked.
Facts about Pope Field (GFD):
- The closest airport to Pope Field (GFD) is Anderson Municipal Airport (AID), which is located 23 miles (37 kilometers) NNE of GFD.
- The furthest airport from Pope Field (GFD) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,219 miles (18,056 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
- Because of Pope Field's relatively low elevation of 895 feet, planes can take off or land at Pope Field 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.
- Pope Field (GFD) currently has only 1 runway.
