Nonstop flight route between Dole, France and Del Rio, Texas, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Dole - Jura Airport (DLE), Dole, France and Laughlin Air Force Base (DLF), Del Rio, Texas, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,450 miles (or 8,770 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 Dole - Jura Airport and Laughlin Air Force Base, 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 Dole - Jura Airport and Laughlin Air Force Base. 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 Dole - Jura Airport (DLE):

• The airport is used for general aviation, and for a few commercial airline services.
• Because of Dole - Jura Airport's relatively low elevation of 645 feet, planes can take off or land at Dole - Jura 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.
• Dole - Jura Airport (DLE) has 2 runways.
• With the end of the war in Europe in May, 1945 the Americans began to withdraw their aircraft and personnel.
• The furthest airport from Dole - Jura Airport (DLE) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is nearly antipodal to Dole - Jura Airport (meaning Dole - Jura Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Chatham Islands), and is located 12,195 miles (19,626 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
• Today, the airport's World War II history remains with the alert pads built by the Germans at each end of the main runway.
• During World War II the airport was used by the German Luftwaffe during the occupation of France as an Air intelligence training facility.
• In addition to being known as "Dole - Jura Airport", other names for DLE include "Aéroport de Dole - Jura" and "(Advanced Landing Ground Y-7)".
• The closest airport to Dole - Jura Airport (DLE) is Dijon Air Base (DIJ), which is located 23 miles (37 kilometers) NW of DLE.

Facts about Laughlin Air Force Base (DLF):

• On the base the population was spread out with 30.6% under the age of 18, 23.6% from 18 to 24, 42.7% from 25 to 44, 2.5% from 45 to 64, and 0.6% who were 65 years of age or older.
• The Air Force transferred jurisdiction of the base to the Strategic Air Command on April 1, 1957 and the 4080th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing moved there from Turner Air Force Base, Georgia.
• Laughlin U-2s were among the first to provide photographic evidence of Soviet missile installations in Cuba in 1962 when 4080th U-2 pilot Major Steve Heyser flew his U-2C over Cuba after taking off from Edwards AFB, California.
• Today, aircraft flown at Laughlin include the T-6A Texan II, the T-38C Talon and T-1A Jayhawk.
• In 1961, Headquarters US Air Force notified Laughlin officials their mission would expand to again include an Air Training Command undergraduate pilot training program.
• The closest airport to Laughlin Air Force Base (DLF) is Del Rio International Airport (DRT), which is located only 9 miles (15 kilometers) W of DLF.
• The furthest airport from Laughlin Air Force Base (DLF) is Sir Gaëtan Duval Airport (RRG), which is located 11,241 miles (18,091 kilometers) away in Rodrigues Island, Mauritius.