Nonstop flight route between Lake City, Florida, United States and Ponce, Puerto Rico:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Lake City Gateway Airport (LCQ), Lake City, Florida, United States and Mercedita Airport (PSE), Ponce, Puerto Rico would travel a Great Circle distance of 1,312 miles (or 2,111 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 relatively short distance between Lake City Gateway Airport and Mercedita Airport, the route shown on this map most likely still appears to be a straight line.

Departure Airport Information:

Arrival Airport Information:

Facts about Lake City Gateway Airport (LCQ):

• Although the Navy departed Lake City over 60 years ago, its comparatively long main runway, operational Non-Federal Air Traffic Control Tower, and minimal air traffic makes it a popular location for transient P-3C Orions from NAS Jacksonville and HC-130 Hercules and A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft from Moody AFB to practice approaches and touch-and-go landings.
• Lake City Gateway Airport (LCQ) has 2 runways.
• The closest airport to Lake City Gateway Airport (LCQ) is Gainesville Regional Airport (GNV), which is located 39 miles (62 kilometers) SSE of LCQ.
• The furthest airport from Lake City Gateway Airport (LCQ) is Shark Bay Airport (MJK), which is located 11,409 miles (18,361 kilometers) away in Monkey Mia, Western Australia, Australia.
• The NAS Lake City property was deemed surplus and subsequently conveyed to the city of Lake City by the General Services Administration.
• Because of Lake City Gateway Airport's relatively low elevation of 201 feet, planes can take off or land at Lake City Gateway 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.

Facts about Mercedita Airport (PSE):

• The closest airport to Mercedita Airport (PSE) is Antonio (Nery) Juarbe Pol Airport (ARE), which is located 31 miles (51 kilometers) NNW of PSE.
• The airport is also home of the southern aerial division of the Puerto Rico Police Department.
• In addition to being known as "Mercedita Airport", other names for PSE include "Aeropuerto Mercedita" and "18.00'30"N, 66.33'47"W".
• Because of Mercedita Airport's relatively low elevation of 29 feet, planes can take off or land at Mercedita 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.
• The furthest airport from Mercedita Airport (PSE) is Barrow Island Airport (BWB), which is nearly antipodal to Mercedita Airport (meaning Mercedita Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Barrow Island Airport), and is located 12,201 miles (19,636 kilometers) away in Barrow Island, Western Australia, Australia.
• During 2007, more passengers passed through the airport than the population of the entire city of Ponce itself.
• After Ponce's mayor Rafael Cordero signed a contract to build a major seaport in the area, Mercedita's directors decided to expand the airport's runway to 8,000 ft to accommodate anticipated growth in airline traffic.
• Federal Express and DHL operate out of this airport for the distribution of surface freight.
• As per Federal Aviation Administration records, the airport had 110,159 passenger boardings in calendar year 2008, 90,267 enplanements in 2009, and 97,660 in 2010.
• Mercedita Airport (PSE) currently has only 1 runway.
• In 1949, however, it was determined that the runway of the Ponce Airport at the nearby Losey Field no longer met the newer and more stringent minimum airport safety requirements, and airport operations were suspended.