Nonstop flight route between Goulburn, New South Wales, Australia and Lajes, Azores, Portugal:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Goulburn Airport (GUL), Goulburn, New South Wales, Australia and Lajes Air Base (TER), Lajes, Azores, Portugal would travel a Great Circle distance of 12,111 miles (or 19,491 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 Goulburn Airport and Lajes Air 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 Goulburn Airport and Lajes Air Base. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!

The distance between GUL and TER makes them almost exactly antipodal (the exact opposite side of the world) to each other. Nonstop flights between Goulburn Airport and Lajes Air Base would be very impractical for the airlines, because only a lightly loaded Boeing 777-200LR would be able to make the trip. Since airlines need to be able to take as many people and cargo as possible in order to make a profit, the odds of ever seeing a nonstop flight between GUL and TER are slim to none. However, you'll still be able to get from Goulburn, New South Wales, Australia and Lajes, Azores, Portugal by taking some connecting flights!

Did you know that one full circling of the Earth (measuring from the equator) is about 24,901.5 miles (or 40,075 kilometers), which means if you were 12,450 miles from any given point on the planet, the distance back to your starting point would be about the same -- in any direction! The same can be said for a nonstop flight between GUL and TER!

Departure Airport Information:

Arrival Airport Information:

Facts about Goulburn Airport (GUL):

• 29 January 2012 - A Pilot and his passenger escaped serious injury when their vintage De Havilland Chipmunk aircraft crashed shortly after take-off from Goulburn Airport.
• The closest airport to Goulburn Airport (GUL) is Canberra Airport (CBR), which is located 46 miles (74 kilometers) SW of GUL.
• Goulburn Airport (GUL) has 2 runways.
• There is no control tower located at the airport and pilots must co-ordinate arrivals and departures using a Common Traffic Advisory Frequency, aided by an Aerodrome Frequency Response Unit, which notifies pilots that their transmissions have been received on the frequency and activates lighting systems as appropriate.
• The furthest airport from Goulburn Airport (GUL) is Horta International Airport (HOR), which is nearly antipodal to Goulburn Airport (meaning Goulburn Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Horta International Airport), and is located 12,166 miles (19,579 kilometers) away in Horta, Azores, Portugal.
• Adrenaline Skydive started by Bill Tuddenham, first operated in the Newcastle / Hunter area, it was a successful tandem and student operation that attracted thousands of adventurous people from the area.

Facts about Lajes Air Base (TER):

• During the Portuguese Colonial War, from 1961 to 1975, the Air Force Hospital at Lajes operated as the main centre for treatment and rehabilitation of mutilated and heavy burned soldiers of the three services of the Portuguese Armed Forces.
• The closest airport to Lajes Air Base (TER) is Graciosa Airport (GRW), which is located 55 miles (89 kilometers) WNW of TER.
• Lajes supported the large airlift during the Gulf War.
• In addition to being known as "Lajes Air Base", other names for TER include "Base Aérea das Lajes", "Base Aérea Nº 4" and "Aeroporto das Lajes".
• The furthest airport from Lajes Air Base (TER) is Merimbula Airport (MIM), which is nearly antipodal to Lajes Air Base (meaning Lajes Air Base is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Merimbula Airport), and is located 12,229 miles (19,680 kilometers) away in Merimbula, New South Wales, Australia.
• Portugal has explored contingencies in the event the United States military eventually abandons Lajes, including the possibility of entering an agreement with the People's Republic of China.
• Because of Lajes Air Base's relatively low elevation of 180 feet, planes can take off or land at Lajes Air Base 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.
• By 1943, the British and American armed forces were allowed basing rights in Portugal, and the Royal Air Force took over Lajes Field as RAF Station Lajes.
• In 2009 Lajes provided rescue support of shipping lanes across the Atlantic, a safe haven for medical or mechanical emergency situations in aircraft crossing the Atlantic, and support for the USAF's continuing campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan.
• Lajes Air Base (TER) currently has only 1 runway.