Nonstop flight route between Castres, Languedoc, France and Wake Island, United States Minor Outlying Islands:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Castres - Mazamet Airport (DCM), Castres, Languedoc, France and Wake Island Airfield (AWK), Wake Island, United States Minor Outlying Islands would travel a Great Circle distance of 7,983 miles (or 12,847 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 Castres - Mazamet Airport and Wake Island Airfield, 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 Castres - Mazamet Airport and Wake Island Airfield. 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 Castres - Mazamet Airport (DCM):

• The closest airport to Castres - Mazamet Airport (DCM) is Carcassonne Airport (CCF), which is located 23 miles (38 kilometers) S of DCM.
• In addition to being known as "Castres - Mazamet Airport", another name for DCM is "Aéroport de Castres - Mazamet".
• Because of Castres - Mazamet Airport's relatively low elevation of 785 feet, planes can take off or land at Castres - Mazamet 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 Castres - Mazamet Airport (DCM) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is nearly antipodal to Castres - Mazamet Airport (meaning Castres - Mazamet Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Chatham Islands), and is located 12,372 miles (19,910 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
• Castres - Mazamet Airport (DCM) currently has only 1 runway.

Facts about Wake Island Airfield (AWK):

• Wake Island Airfield (AWK) currently has only 1 runway.
• The first intention to build an air base surfaced in 1935, when Pan American World Airways selected Wake Island as an intermediate support base for their routes to the Far East, especially the Philippines.
• On 31 August 2006, the super typhoon Ioke struck Wake Island.
• The closest airport to Wake Island Airfield (AWK) is Quoin Hill Airfield (UIQ), which is located 169 miles (272 kilometers) SE of AWK.
• Because of Wake Island Airfield's relatively low elevation of 23 feet, planes can take off or land at Wake Island Airfield 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 Wake Island Airfield (AWK) is RAF Ascension (ASI), which is located 11,652 miles (18,752 kilometers) away in Georgetown, Ascension Island, Saint Helena.
• Between 5 and 29 May 1935, Pan American's air base construction vessel, North Haven, landed supplies and equipment on Wilkes Island for eventual rehandling to Peale Island which, because of its more suitable soil and geology, had been selected as site for the PAA seaplane base.
• After pioneering air service into Wake Island in 1935, Pan American World Airways continued to serve the airfield for many years.