Nonstop flight route between Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil and Del Rio, Texas, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Florianópolis-Hercílio Luz International Airport (FLN), Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil and Laughlin Air Force Base (DLF), Del Rio, Texas, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,238 miles (or 8,430 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 Florianópolis-Hercílio Luz International 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 Florianópolis-Hercílio Luz International 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 Florianópolis-Hercílio Luz International Airport (FLN):

• In 1978 the runway 14/32 was opened allowing a great increase in traffic.
• Florianópolis-Hercílio Luz International Airport handled 3,395,253 passengers last year.
• Because of Florianópolis-Hercílio Luz International Airport's relatively low elevation of 16 feet, planes can take off or land at Florianópolis-Hercílio Luz International 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.
• Florianópolis-Hercílio Luz International Airport (FLN) has 2 runways.
• Between 1942 and 1945 the runway 03/21, apron, control tower and passenger terminal were built.
• In addition to being known as "Florianópolis-Hercílio Luz International Airport", another name for FLN is "Aeroporto Internacional de Florianópolis-Hercílio Luz".
• The closest airport to Florianópolis-Hercílio Luz International Airport (FLN) is Navegantes Airport (NVT), which is located 55 miles (89 kilometers) N of FLN.
• The furthest airport from Florianópolis-Hercílio Luz International Airport (FLN) is Kikai Airport (KKX), which is nearly antipodal to Florianópolis-Hercílio Luz International Airport (meaning Florianópolis-Hercílio Luz International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Kikai Airport), and is located 12,334 miles (19,849 kilometers) away in Kikaiga Shima, Kikai-Shima Island, Japan.

Facts about Laughlin Air Force Base (DLF):

• 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.
• Another 4080th pilot, Major Rudolf Anderson, Jr., perished when his U-2 was hit by shrapnel from a Soviet-made SA-2 on October 22, 1962 while overflying Cuba from McCoy AFB.
• 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.
• 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.
• Laughlin Air Force Base reopened on May 1, 1952.
• 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.
• Today, aircraft flown at Laughlin include the T-6A Texan II, the T-38C Talon and T-1A Jayhawk.
• 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.