Nonstop flight route between Bury St. Edmunds, England, United Kingdom and Westfield / Springfield, Massachusetts, United States:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from BEQ to BAF:
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- About this route
- BEQ Airport Information
- BAF Airport Information
- Facts about BEQ
- Facts about BAF
- Map of Nearest Airports to BEQ
- List of Nearest Airports to BEQ
- Map of Furthest Airports from BEQ
- List of Furthest Airports from BEQ
- Map of Nearest Airports to BAF
- List of Nearest Airports to BAF
- Map of Furthest Airports from BAF
- List of Furthest Airports from BAF
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between RAF Honington USAAF Station 375 (BEQ), Bury St. Edmunds, England, United Kingdom and Westfield-Barnes Regional Airport (BAF), Westfield / Springfield, Massachusetts, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 3,364 miles (or 5,415 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 Honington USAAF Station 375 and Westfield-Barnes Regional Airport, 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 Honington USAAF Station 375 and Westfield-Barnes Regional Airport. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure Airport Information:
| IATA / ICAO Codes: | BEQ / EGXH |
| Airport Name: | RAF Honington USAAF Station 375 |
| Location: | Bury St. Edmunds, England, United Kingdom |
| GPS Coordinates: | 52°20'33"N by 0°46'23"E |
| Operator/Owner: | Ministry of Defence |
| View all routes: | Routes from BEQ |
| More Information: | BEQ Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
| IATA / ICAO Codes: | BAF / KBAF |
| Airport Names: |
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| Location: | Westfield / Springfield, Massachusetts, United States |
| GPS Coordinates: | 42°9'29"N by 72°42'56"W |
| Area Served: | Westfield / Springfield, Massachusetts |
| Operator/Owner: | City of Westfield |
| Airport Type: | Public |
| Elevation: | 270 feet (82 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 2 |
| View all routes: | Routes from BAF |
| More Information: | BAF Maps & Info |
Facts about RAF Honington USAAF Station 375 (BEQ):
- In the event, the F-111 never entered service with the RAF, and in 1968, the airfield became the UK base for the RAF's Hawker Siddeley Buccaneer bomber.
- IX Squadron flew the first RAF bombing raid of the Second World War on 4 September 1939 flying a mission against the Kriegsmarine in the Baltic resulting in the loss of two Wellingtons.
- Construction of Honington airfield began in 1935, and the facility was opened on 3 May 1937.
- Then, in May of that year, a Wellington returning from a night trip attempted to land at Honington with its wheels retracted.
- The 364th FG flew escort, dive-bombing, strafing, and patrol missions in France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany.
- The furthest airport from RAF Honington USAAF Station 375 (BEQ) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is located 11,834 miles (19,044 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
- Besides the air depot, Honington also housed an operational fighter unit when the 364th Fighter Group took up residence at Honington in February 1944, arriving from Santa Maria AAF, California.
- Converted from P-38 Lightnings to P-51 Mustangs in the summer of 1944 and from then until the end of the war flew many long-range escort missions heavy bombers that attacked oil refineries, industries, and other strategic objectives at Berlin, Regensburg, Merseburg, Stuttgart, Brussels, and elsewhere.
- The closest airport to RAF Honington USAAF Station 375 (BEQ) is RAF Lakenheath (LKZ), which is located only 10 miles (16 kilometers) WNW of BEQ.
- Although the last mission by the 364th took place on 25 April 1945, the group did not depart until November, returning to Camp Kilmer, New Jersey, for inactivation.
- English Electric Canberra bomber squadrons, 10, XV, 44, and 57 were based at RAF Honington from February 1955 to 1957.
- The group patrolled the English Channel during the Normandy invasion in June 1944, and, while continuing escort operations, supported ground forces in France after the invasion by strafing and bombing locomotives, marshalling yards, bridges, barges, and other targets.
Facts about Westfield-Barnes Regional Airport (BAF):
- The largest program is an official part 141 flight school named Westfield Flight Academy.
- The closest airport to Westfield-Barnes Regional Airport (BAF) is Westover Air Reserve Base (CEF), which is located only 10 miles (15 kilometers) ENE of BAF.
- The furthest airport from Westfield-Barnes Regional Airport (BAF) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,728 miles (18,874 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
- Barnes Municipal Airport has two FAA-approved flight schools.
- Westfield-Barnes Regional Airport (BAF) has 2 runways.
- Because of Westfield-Barnes Regional Airport's relatively low elevation of 270 feet, planes can take off or land at Westfield-Barnes Regional 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.
- Between 1939 and 1940, the administration building, hangar, and the beacon light were built with grant money totaling near $90,000.
- In addition to being known as "Westfield-Barnes Regional Airport", another name for BAF is "(formerly Barnes Municipal Airport)".
