Nonstop flight route between Berlin, Germany and Spearfish, South Dakota, United States:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from GWW to SPF:
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- About this route
- GWW Airport Information
- SPF Airport Information
- Facts about GWW
- Facts about SPF
- Map of Nearest Airports to GWW
- List of Nearest Airports to GWW
- Map of Furthest Airports from GWW
- List of Furthest Airports from GWW
- Map of Nearest Airports to SPF
- List of Nearest Airports to SPF
- Map of Furthest Airports from SPF
- List of Furthest Airports from SPF
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Royal Air Force Station Gatow (GWW), Berlin, Germany and Black Hills Airport (SPF), Spearfish, South Dakota, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,765 miles (or 7,669 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 Royal Air Force Station Gatow and Black Hills Airport, 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 Royal Air Force Station Gatow and Black Hills Airport. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure Airport Information:
| IATA / ICAO Codes: | GWW / EDBG |
| Airport Name: | Royal Air Force Station Gatow |
| Location: | Berlin, Germany |
| GPS Coordinates: | 52°28'27"N by 13°8'17"E |
| Operator/Owner: | formerly: Ministry of Defence, now: Bundeswehr |
| Airport Type: | Military (airport no longer in operation) |
| Elevation: | 161 feet (49 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 1 |
| View all routes: | Routes from GWW |
| More Information: | GWW Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
| IATA / ICAO Codes: | SPF / KSPF |
| Airport Names: |
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| Location: | Spearfish, South Dakota, United States |
| GPS Coordinates: | 44°28'49"N by 103°46'59"W |
| Operator/Owner: | Lawrence County Airport Board |
| Airport Type: | Public |
| Elevation: | 3931 feet (1,198 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 4 |
| View all routes: | Routes from SPF |
| More Information: | SPF Maps & Info |
Facts about Royal Air Force Station Gatow (GWW):
- Because of Royal Air Force Station Gatow's relatively low elevation of 161 feet, planes can take off or land at Royal Air Force Station Gatow 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.
- Late April 1945, towards the end of World War II in Europe, the airfield was occupied by the advancing Red Army.
- BEA moved to Tempelhof Airport in 1951, where most of West Berlin's commercial air transport operations were concentrated from then on.
- In November 1948, the latest RAF transport aircraft, the Handley Page Hastings, was added to the squadrons flying into RAF Gatow and some aircrews and aircraft were redeployed to train replacement aircrews.
- RAF Gatow has the unique and unlikely distinction of being the base for the only known operational use of flying boats in central Europe, during the Berlin Blockade, on the nearby Großer Wannsee in the Havel river.
- The closest airport to Royal Air Force Station Gatow (GWW) is Berlin Tegel Airport (TXL), which is located only 9 miles (14 kilometers) NE of GWW.
- Royal Air Force Station Gatow (GWW) currently has only 1 runway.
- The furthest airport from Royal Air Force Station Gatow (GWW) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is located 11,694 miles (18,819 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
- The closest military neighbour to RAF Gatow was a tank unit of the National People's Army of East Germany.
Facts about Black Hills Airport (SPF):
- Black Hills Airport (SPF) has 4 runways.
- The furthest airport from Black Hills Airport (SPF) is Sir Gaëtan Duval Airport (RRG), which is located 10,576 miles (17,020 kilometers) away in Rodrigues Island, Mauritius.
- The closest airport to Black Hills Airport (SPF) is Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA), which is located 42 miles (67 kilometers) ESE of SPF.
- In addition to being known as "Black Hills Airport", another name for SPF is "Clyde Ice Field".
