Nonstop flight route between Lakenheath, England, United Kingdom and Salinas, California, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between RAF Lakenheath (LKZ), Lakenheath, England, United Kingdom and Salinas Municipal AirportSalinas Army Air Base (SNS), Salinas, California, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,370 miles (or 8,642 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 RAF Lakenheath and Salinas Municipal AirportSalinas Army 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 RAF Lakenheath and Salinas Municipal AirportSalinas Army Air Base. 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 RAF Lakenheath (LKZ):

• In addition to supporting three combat-ready squadrons of F-15E Strike Eagle and F-15C Eagle fighter aircraft, the Liberty Wing houses the 56th Rescue Squadron's HH-60G Combat Search and Rescue helicopters.
• In April 1947, RAF Bomber Command returned to Lakenheath and had the runways repaired, resurfaced, and readied for operations by May 1948.
• The reason for the departure of the two bomber squadrons was Lakenheath's selection for upgrading to a Very Heavy Bomber airfield.
• The closest airport to RAF Lakenheath (LKZ) is RAF Mildenhall (MHZ), which is located only 4 miles (7 kilometers) SW of LKZ.
• Meanwhile on 30 April 1956, two Lockheed U-2s were airlifted to RAF Lakenheath to form CIA Detachment A.
• The furthest airport from RAF Lakenheath (LKZ) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is located 11,827 miles (19,034 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
• In early 1943, three T-2 hangars were erected on the north side of the airfield for glider storage, 40 Horsa Gliders being dispersed at Lakenheath during that year.

Facts about Salinas Municipal AirportSalinas Army Air Base (SNS):

• The 451st AAFBU concluded its training of replacement pilots in May 1945 and operations at the airfield were phased down to a standby status.
• The airfield opened in late 1941 as Salinas Army Air Field.
• The furthest airport from Salinas Municipal AirportSalinas Army Air Base (SNS) is Tôlanaro Airport (FTU), which is located 11,387 miles (18,326 kilometers) away in Tôlanaro, Madagascar.
• Because of Salinas Municipal AirportSalinas Army Air Base's relatively low elevation of 85 feet, planes can take off or land at Salinas Municipal AirportSalinas Army 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.
• The move of the Army Air Forces Night Fighter School to Hammer Field, California dictated the move of the 360th Fighter Group to Santa Maria AAF in January 1944.
• The closest airport to Salinas Municipal AirportSalinas Army Air Base (SNS) is Monterey Regional Airport (MRY), which is located only 14 miles (23 kilometers) WSW of SNS.
• Salinas Municipal AirportSalinas Army Air Base (SNS) has 3 runways.