Nonstop flight route between London, England, United Kingdom and Fort Wayne, Indiana, United States:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from LGW to SMD:
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- About this route
- LGW Airport Information
- SMD Airport Information
- Facts about LGW
- Facts about SMD
- Map of Nearest Airports to LGW
- List of Nearest Airports to LGW
- Map of Furthest Airports from LGW
- List of Furthest Airports from LGW
- Map of Nearest Airports to SMD
- List of Nearest Airports to SMD
- Map of Furthest Airports from SMD
- List of Furthest Airports from SMD
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Gatwick Airport (LGW), London, England, United Kingdom and Smith Field (SMD), Fort Wayne, Indiana, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 3,895 miles (or 6,268 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 Gatwick Airport and Smith 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 Gatwick Airport and Smith Field. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure Airport Information:
| IATA / ICAO Codes: | LGW / EGKK |
| Airport Name: | Gatwick Airport |
| Location: | London, England, United Kingdom |
| GPS Coordinates: | 51°8'53"N by 0°11'25"W |
| Area Served: | London, United Kingdom |
| Operator/Owner: | Global Infrastructure Partners |
| Airport Type: | Public |
| Elevation: | 203 feet (62 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 2 |
| View all routes: | Routes from LGW |
| More Information: | LGW Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
| IATA / ICAO Codes: | SMD / KSMD |
| Airport Name: | Smith Field |
| Location: | Fort Wayne, Indiana, United States |
| GPS Coordinates: | 41°8'35"N by 85°9'10"W |
| Area Served: | Fort Wayne, Indiana |
| Airport Type: | Public |
| Elevation: | 835 feet (255 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 4 |
| View all routes: | Routes from SMD |
| More Information: | SMD Maps & Info |
Facts about Gatwick Airport (LGW):
- In July 1952, the British government confirmed that the airport would be renovated, primarily for aircraft diverted from Heathrow in bad weather.
- From 1978 to 2008, many flights to and from the United States used Gatwick because of restrictions on the use of Heathrow implemented in the Bermuda II agreement between the UK and the US.US Airways, Gatwick's last remaining US carrier, ended service from the airport on 30 March 2013.
- Gatwick Airport handled 35,444,206 passengers last year.
- The closest airport to Gatwick Airport (LGW) is Redhill Aerodrome (KRH), which is located only 5 miles (8 kilometers) NNE of LGW.
- A second 875-foot extension of Gatwick's runway was completed in 1970, bringing it to 9,075 ft and permitting non-stop jet flights to the US east coast with a full payload and full range and payload operations by British United Airways and Caledonian Airways BAC One-Eleven 500s.BEA Airtours made Gatwick their base.
- Because of Gatwick Airport's relatively low elevation of 203 feet, planes can take off or land at Gatwick 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.
- Queen Elizabeth II flew into Gatwick on 9 June 1958 in a de Havilland Heron of the Queen's Flight for the opening.
- The furthest airport from Gatwick Airport (LGW) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is located 11,901 miles (19,152 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
- Gatwick's new air-traffic control tower opened in 1984, the tallest in the UK at the time.
- Gatwick Airport (LGW) has 2 runways.
- On 6 July 1935, the aerodrome closed temporarily for renovations, which included the construction of the "Beehive", the world's first circular terminal building.
Facts about Smith Field (SMD):
- The furthest airport from Smith Field (SMD) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,224 miles (18,064 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
- Smith Field (SMD) has 4 runways.
- The federal government’s anticipation of World War II and old Baer Field’s role in the pioneer airmail service brought the U.S.
- Because of Smith Field's relatively low elevation of 835 feet, planes can take off or land at Smith Field 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 closest airport to Smith Field (SMD) is Fort Wayne International Airport (FWA), which is located only 12 miles (19 kilometers) S of SMD.
- Smith Field is a public airport five miles north of downtown Fort Wayne, in Allen County, Indiana.
- Federal New Deal employment programs of the Great Depression further upgraded the airfield.
- The United States government’s pioneering of a national airmail system begun in 1918, provided essential subsidies for America’s fledgling airline industry.
