Nonstop flight route between Alconbury, England, United Kingdom and Fort Wayne, Indiana, United States:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from AYH to SMD:
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- About this route
- AYH Airport Information
- SMD Airport Information
- Facts about AYH
- Facts about SMD
- 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 SMD
- List of Nearest Airports to SMD
- Map of Furthest Airports from SMD
- List of Furthest Airports from SMD
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between RAF AlconburyUSAAF Station 102 (AYH), Alconbury, England, United Kingdom and Smith Field (SMD), Fort Wayne, Indiana, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 3,857 miles (or 6,208 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 Smith 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 Smith 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: | SMD / KSMD |
| Airport Name: | Smith Field |
| Location: | Fort Wayne, Indiana, United States |
| GPS Coordinates: | 41°8'35"N by 85°9'10"W |
| Area Served: | Fort Wayne, Indiana |
| Airport Type: | Public |
| Elevation: | 835 feet (255 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 4 |
| View all routes: | Routes from SMD |
| More Information: | SMD Maps & Info |
Facts about RAF AlconburyUSAAF Station 102 (AYH):
- The host unit at RAF Alconbury is the 423rd Air Base Group which supplies host unit services for Alconbury as well as RAF Molesworth.
- 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 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.
- RAF Alconbury is also the home of the 501st Combat Support Wing.
- The closest airport to RAF AlconburyUSAAF Station 102 (AYH) is Cambridge International Airport (CBG), which is located 20 miles (32 kilometers) ESE of AYH.
- A total of 67 bombers had been lost in RAF Bomber Command operations flown from Alconbury, eight were Blenheims and 59 Wellingtons.
- The 423 ABG command section and orderly room are located at Alconbury as are many of the support units and recreational facilities for the area.
Facts about Smith Field (SMD):
- Smith Field (SMD) has 4 runways.
- Because of Smith Field's relatively low elevation of 835 feet, planes can take off or land at Smith 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.
- The United States government’s pioneering of a national airmail system begun in 1918, provided essential subsidies for America’s fledgling airline industry.
- The closest airport to Smith Field (SMD) is Fort Wayne International Airport (FWA), which is located only 12 miles (19 kilometers) S of SMD.
- The furthest airport from Smith Field (SMD) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,224 miles (18,064 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
- In 2010 Runway 5/23 was rebuilt.
