Nonstop flight route between St Athan, Wales, United Kingdom and Chattanooga, Tennessee, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between MoD St Athan (DGX), St Athan, Wales, United Kingdom and Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport (CHA), Chattanooga, Tennessee, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,045 miles (or 6,510 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 MoD St Athan and Chattanooga Metropolitan 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 MoD St Athan and Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport. 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 MoD St Athan (DGX):

• After the war, airmen of the Airframe and Engine trades continued to train at St Athan, but in 1955 this training dispersed to RAF Kirkham and RAF Weeton.
• 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.
• MoD St Athan (DGX) currently has only 1 runway.
• In March 2004, however, DARA announced the loss of 550 jobs at St Athan as part of streamlining to make DARA more efficient and better able to compete with the private sector for lucrative aircraft repair contracts, but also because they lost out to a direct RAF bid for a contract to upgrade the air force's fleet of ageing Harrier jump jet aircraft.
• St Athan also became the major RAF maintenance base for Vulcan, Victor, Buccaner, Phantom, Harrier, Tornado, Jaguar, Hawk and VC10 aircraft, originally under direct RAF control, but latterly under the auspices of the Defence Aviation Repair Agency.
• 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 training to be carried out at St Athan was to be specialist phase 2 and phase 3 engineering courses of the Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force.

Facts about Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport (CHA):

• Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport has a single concourse with five gates.
• 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.
• Currently, a flight from Chattanooga to Atlanta can take 18 minutes flying on a Canadair Regional Jet or Delta Air Lines MD-80.
• In addition to being known as "Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport", another name for CHA is "Lovell Field".
• The closest airport to Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport (CHA) is Marion County Airport (APT), which is located 22 miles (35 kilometers) W of CHA.
• During World War II, Lovell Field served as a military training facility.
• 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.
• The largest aircraft currently serving the airport are the MD-80 series operated by Allegiant Air and Delta Air Lines.
• In 1930, due to the interest and foresight of John Lovell, a new Chattanooga Airport was established with an unpaved runway at its present location and was named Lovell Field in his honor.
• It has been proposed that a new high-speed rail line be constructed from the airport to MARTA in metro Atlanta, so that it could easily serve as Atlanta's second airport.
• Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport (CHA) has 2 runways.
• On November 27, 1973, Delta Air Lines Flight 516, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9, crashed short of the runway on approach to the airport.