Nonstop flight route between Chattanooga, Tennessee, United States and Lakenheath, England, United Kingdom:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport (CHA), Chattanooga, Tennessee, United States and RAF Lakenheath (LKZ), Lakenheath, England, United Kingdom would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,183 miles (or 6,732 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 Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport and RAF Lakenheath, 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 Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport and RAF Lakenheath. 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 Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport (CHA):

• On November 11, 1972, Southern Airways Flight 49, a hijacked McDonnell Douglas DC-9 with 31 passengers and 3 crew members aboard, landed at Lovell Field from Knoxville's McGhee Tyson Airport to pick up $10 million that three hijackers had demanded.
• The closest airport to Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport (CHA) is Marion County Airport (APT), which is located 22 miles (35 kilometers) W of CHA.
• The first scheduled air carrier operation in Tennessee took place in Chattanooga in 1928 at Marr Field, dedicated in December 1919, named for Walter L.
• Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport (CHA) has 2 runways.
• Because of Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport's relatively low elevation of 683 feet, planes can take off or land at Chattanooga Metropolitan 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.
• The furthest airport from Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport (CHA) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,280 miles (18,153 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
• In addition to being known as "Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport", another name for CHA is "Lovell Field".
• The Airport's ownership was transferred from Chattanooga to the Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport Authority in July 1985.

Facts about RAF Lakenheath (LKZ):

• The increasing tension of the Cold War lead to a re-evaluation of these deployments, and by 1953 SAC bombers began to move its heavy bomb groups further west, behind RAF fighter forces, to RAF Brize Norton, RAF Greenham Common, RAF Upper Heyford and RAF Fairford, while its shorter-range B-47 were sent to East Anglia.
• The first use of Lakenheath Warren as a Royal Flying Corps airfield was in World War I, when the area was made into a bombing and ground-attack range for aircraft flying from elsewhere in the area.
• Although an RAF station, it hosts United States Air Force units and personnel.
• In 1940, the Air Ministry selected Lakenheath as an alternative for RAF Mildenhall and used it as a decoy airfield.
• The reason for the departure of the two bomber squadrons was Lakenheath's selection for upgrading to a Very Heavy Bomber airfield.
• Taking part in more than 350 operations, more than half mine-laying, 149 Squadron had one of the lowest percentage loss rates of all Stirling squadrons.
• The closest airport to RAF Lakenheath (LKZ) is RAF Mildenhall (MHZ), which is located only 4 miles (7 kilometers) SW of LKZ.
• The furthest airport from RAF Lakenheath (LKZ) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is located 11,827 miles (19,034 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
• Control of RAF Lakenheath was allocated to Third Air Force at South Ruislip Air Station, which had command of SAC B-29 operations in England.