Nonstop flight route between East London, South Africa and St Andrews, Scotland, United Kingdom:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from ELS to ADX:
Share this route:
Jump to:
- About this route
- ELS Airport Information
- ADX Airport Information
- Facts about ELS
- Facts about ADX
- Map of Nearest Airports to ELS
- List of Nearest Airports to ELS
- Map of Furthest Airports from ELS
- List of Furthest Airports from ELS
- Map of Nearest Airports to ADX
- List of Nearest Airports to ADX
- Map of Furthest Airports from ADX
- List of Furthest Airports from ADX
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between East London Airport (ELS), East London, South Africa and RAF Leuchars (ADX), St Andrews, Scotland, United Kingdom would travel a Great Circle distance of 6,435 miles (or 10,356 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 East London Airport and RAF Leuchars, 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 East London Airport and RAF Leuchars. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | ELS / FAEL |
Airport Name: | East London Airport |
Location: | East London, South Africa |
GPS Coordinates: | 33°2'5"S by 27°49'17"E |
Area Served: | East London, Eastern Cape, South Africa |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 436 feet (133 meters) |
# of Runways: | 2 |
View all routes: | Routes from ELS |
More Information: | ELS Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | ADX / EGQL |
Airport Name: | RAF Leuchars |
Location: | St Andrews, Scotland, United Kingdom |
GPS Coordinates: | 56°22'23"N by 2°52'6"W |
Operator/Owner: | Ministry of Defence |
View all routes: | Routes from ADX |
More Information: | ADX Maps & Info |
Facts about East London Airport (ELS):
- The airport had an inauspicious beginning in 1927, when Lieut Colonel Alistair Miller asked the East London town council to help establish a municipal aerodrome at Woodbrook, west of the city.
- Because of East London Airport's relatively low elevation of 436 feet, planes can take off or land at East London 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.
- In 1944 a new airport was built at Collondale, about 2 km west of the present terminal building.
- East London Airport (ELS) has 2 runways.
- The furthest airport from East London Airport (ELS) is Kalaupapa Airport (LUP), which is located 11,569 miles (18,618 kilometers) away in Kalaupapa, Hawaii, United States.
- The airport was renamed in 1994.
- The closest airport to East London Airport (ELS) is Port Alfred Airport (AFD), which is located 65 miles (105 kilometers) WSW of ELS.
Facts about RAF Leuchars (ADX):
- As the Navy embraced the value of aviation, the aircraft carrier was added to its inventory.
- In 1954 the fixed wing aircraft had been joined by a flight of Bristol Sycamore helicopters for Search and Rescue duties.
- RAF Leuchars is commanded by an Air Commodore instead of a Group Captain who would usually be given command of a station.
- The furthest airport from RAF Leuchars (ADX) is Ryan's Creek Aerodrome (SZS), which is located 11,678 miles (18,793 kilometers) away in Stewart Island, New Zealand.
- In 1935 Leuchars became home to Number 1 Flying Training School and ranges for practice bombing were established in Tentsmuir Forest.
- RAF Leuchars is home to the annual Leuchars Airshow.
- The unit was formally named 'Royal Air Force Leuchars' in March 1920, but nevertheless retained its strong naval links.
- The closest airport to RAF Leuchars (ADX) is Dundee Airport (DND), which is located only 8 miles (13 kilometers) NW of ADX.
- As the Cold War reached its frostiest depths in the 1960s the development of long range aircraft allowed the Soviets regular incursion into British air space.