Nonstop flight route between Avalon, California, United States and St Athan, Wales, United Kingdom:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Catalina AirportBuffalo Springs Airport (CIB), Avalon, California, United States and MoD St Athan (DGX), St Athan, Wales, United Kingdom would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,379 miles (or 8,657 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 Catalina AirportBuffalo Springs Airport 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 Catalina AirportBuffalo Springs Airport 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 Catalina AirportBuffalo Springs Airport (CIB):

• In addition to being known as "Catalina AirportBuffalo Springs Airport", another name for CIB is "AVX".
• The closest airport to Catalina AirportBuffalo Springs Airport (CIB) is Zamperini FieldLomita Landing Strip (TOA), which is located 28 miles (45 kilometers) N of CIB.
• The furthest airport from Catalina AirportBuffalo Springs Airport (CIB) is Pierrefonds Airport (ZSE), which is located 11,521 miles (18,541 kilometers) away in Saint-Pierre, Réunion.
• The airport originally opened as "Buffalo Springs Airport" in the late 1930s and was made by leveling off the top of a hill.
• Catalina AirportBuffalo Springs Airport (CIB) currently has only 1 runway.

Facts about MoD St Athan (DGX):

• 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.
• The closest airport to MoD St Athan (DGX) is Cardiff Airport (CWL), which is located only 4 miles (6 kilometers) E of DGX.
• The MOD continued to negotiate the project with the Metrix Consortium, but the price rose several times, reaching £14 billion in mid-2009.
• In March 2003 it was confirmed that a new hi-tech maintenance centre would be built, creating 3,300 jobs.
• 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.
• The only squadrons to operate out of St Athan on a regular basis are the University of Wales Air Squadron, flying Grob Tutors and No 634 Volunteer Gliding Squadron using Vigilant T.1s.
• 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.