Nonstop flight route between St Athan, Wales, United Kingdom and Steamboat Springs, Colorado, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between MoD St Athan (DGX), St Athan, Wales, United Kingdom and Steamboat Springs Airport (SBS), Steamboat Springs, Colorado, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,600 miles (or 7,402 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 Steamboat Springs 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 Steamboat Springs 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):

• In March 2003 it was confirmed that a new hi-tech maintenance centre would be built, creating 3,300 jobs.
• 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.
• The closest airport to MoD St Athan (DGX) is Cardiff Airport (CWL), which is located only 4 miles (6 kilometers) E of DGX.
• 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 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.
• 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.
• On 26 August 1993 an ATC civilian instructor was seriously injured and the RAF Volunteer Reserve pilot, Group Captain Roger Sweatman, was killed when their Chipmunk trainer, on an air experience flight, crashed after encountering difficulties during a simulated emergency low-height manoeuvre on take-off.
• MoD St Athan (DGX) currently has only 1 runway.

Facts about Steamboat Springs Airport (SBS):

• Because of Steamboat Springs Airport's high elevation of 6,882 feet, planes must typically fly at a faster airspeed in order to takeoff or land at SBS. Combined with a high temperature, this could make SBS a "Hot & High" airport, where the air density is lower than it would otherwise be at sea level.
• In addition to being known as "Steamboat Springs Airport", another name for SBS is "Bob Adams Field".
• The Civil Air Patrol has an office and aircraft at the airport.
• The closest airport to Steamboat Springs Airport (SBS) is Yampa Valley Airport (HDN), which is located only 19 miles (30 kilometers) W of SBS.
• Steamboat Springs Airport (SBS) currently has only 1 runway.
• There is a small terminal for private aviation and several hangars on the property.
• Larger aircraft land at the Yampa Valley Airport 25 miles west of Steamboat Springs near Hayden, which can handle the Boeing 737 and 757 as well as the Airbus A319 and A320, and has mainline jet flights during ski season and year-round United Express regional jets and turboprops to Denver.
• The furthest airport from Steamboat Springs Airport (SBS) is Sir Gaëtan Duval Airport (RRG), which is located 10,891 miles (17,527 kilometers) away in Rodrigues Island, Mauritius.