Nonstop flight route between East London, South Africa and Cherokee, Oklahoma, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between East London Airport (ELS), East London, South Africa and Kegelman Air Force Auxiliary Field (CKA), Cherokee, Oklahoma, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 9,403 miles (or 15,133 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 Kegelman Air Force Auxiliary Field, 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 Kegelman Air Force Auxiliary Field. 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 East London Airport (ELS):

• East London's airport is a small but bustling one that plays an important role in the growing economy of the Eastern Cape.
• The closest airport to East London Airport (ELS) is Port Alfred Airport (AFD), which is located 65 miles (105 kilometers) WSW of ELS.
• East London Airport (ELS) has 2 runways.
• 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.
• Passenger flights were undertaken by two de Havilland Moth planes on Saturday afternoons and all day on Sundays, weather permitting.
• In 1965 the airport was again moved, this time to its present site, 9 km west of the city centre.
• 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 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.

Facts about Kegelman Air Force Auxiliary Field (CKA):

• The furthest airport from Kegelman Air Force Auxiliary Field (CKA) is Sir Gaëtan Duval Airport (RRG), which is located 10,816 miles (17,407 kilometers) away in Rodrigues Island, Mauritius.
• The closest airport to Kegelman Air Force Auxiliary Field (CKA) is Anthony Municipal Airport (ANY), which is located 29 miles (47 kilometers) N of CKA.
• Kegelman Air Force Auxiliary Field (CKA) currently has only 1 runway.
• Vance AFB student pilots and instructor pilots use the airfield to practice landings in T-6A Texan II aircraft, and refer to the field with the callsign "Dogface".