Nonstop flight route between London, England, United Kingdom and Lancaster, California, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Gatwick Airport (LGW), London, England, United Kingdom and General Wm. J. Fox Airfield (WJF), Lancaster, California, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,415 miles (or 8,714 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 General Wm. J. Fox Airfield, 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 General Wm. J. Fox Airfield. 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 Gatwick Airport (LGW):

• On 6 July 1935, the aerodrome closed temporarily for renovations, which included the construction of the "Beehive", the world's first circular terminal building.
• On 27 May 1958, the original Gatwick railway station reopened as the Gatwick Airport station, and the Tinsley Green station was closed.
• 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.
• The London and Brighton Railway opened on 21 September 1841, and ran near Gatwick Manor.
• 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.
• Pope John Paul II arrived at the airport on 28 May 1982 on an Alitalia Boeing 727-200 Advanced, beginning the first papal visit to the United Kingdom.
• Gatwick Airport (LGW) has 2 runways.
• The closest airport to Gatwick Airport (LGW) is Redhill Aerodrome (KRH), which is located only 5 miles (8 kilometers) NNE of LGW.
• During the late 1920s, land adjacent to the racecourse was used as an aerodrome.
• On 9 April 1965, a BUA One-Eleven operated the type's first commercial service from Gatwick to Genoa.
• Gatwick Airport handled 35,444,206 passengers last year.

Facts about General Wm. J. Fox Airfield (WJF):

• General Wm. J. Fox Airfield (WJF) currently has only 1 runway.
• The furthest airport from General Wm. J. Fox Airfield (WJF) is Pierrefonds Airport (ZSE), which is located 11,432 miles (18,399 kilometers) away in Saint-Pierre, Réunion.
• On August 13, 2009, a Los Angeles Police Department helicopter made a hard landing at the airfield during a training exercise.
• The closest airport to General Wm. J. Fox Airfield (WJF) is Palmdale Regional Airport (PMD), which is located only 11 miles (17 kilometers) SE of WJF.