Nonstop flight route between St Athan, Wales, United Kingdom and Reno, Nevada, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between MoD St Athan (DGX), St Athan, Wales, United Kingdom and Reno–Tahoe International Airport (RNO), Reno, Nevada, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,080 miles (or 8,175 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 Reno–Tahoe International 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 Reno–Tahoe International 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):

• The MOD continued to negotiate the project with the Metrix Consortium, but the price rose several times, reaching £14 billion in mid-2009.
• The station officially opened as RAF St Athan on 1 September 1938 and the first unit to take up residence was No 4 School of Technical Training.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.

Facts about Reno–Tahoe International Airport (RNO):

• Reno–Tahoe International Airport (RNO) has 3 runways.
• Reno–Tahoe International Airport handled 3,431,986 passengers last year.
• The airport is also host to Reno Air National Guard Base, an approximately 60-acre complex which was established on the west side of the airport in 1954 when Air National Guard units relocated from the former Stead AFB in Reno.
• The first terminal building was completed in time for the 1960 Winter Olympics held in Squaw Valley, California in 1960.
• Because of Reno–Tahoe International Airport's high elevation of 4,415 feet, planes must typically fly at a faster airspeed in order to takeoff or land at RNO. Combined with a high temperature, this could make RNO a "Hot & High" airport, where the air density is lower than it would otherwise be at sea level.
• The furthest airport from Reno–Tahoe International Airport (RNO) is Tôlanaro Airport (FTU), which is located 11,175 miles (17,984 kilometers) away in Tôlanaro, Madagascar.
• The airport provides convenient access to nine different rental car agencies with rental car pick up available right outside the terminal building.
• The closest airport to Reno–Tahoe International Airport (RNO) is Carson Airport (CSN), which is located 21 miles (34 kilometers) S of RNO.
• The terminal was remodelled in 1996 and 2009.