Nonstop flight route between Ruislip, England, United Kingdom and Futuna Island, Wallis and Futuna Islands:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between RAF Northolt (NHT), Ruislip, England, United Kingdom and Aéroport de Futuna - Pointe-Vele Pointe Vele Airport (FUT), Futuna Island, Wallis and Futuna Islands would travel a Great Circle distance of 9,860 miles (or 15,869 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 Northolt and Aéroport de Futuna - Pointe-Vele Pointe Vele 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 RAF Northolt and Aéroport de Futuna - Pointe-Vele Pointe Vele Airport. 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 Northolt (NHT):

• RAF Northolt became home to Prime Minister Winston Churchill's personal aircraft, a modified Douglas C-54 Skymaster, in June 1944.
• During the construction of Heathrow Airport, Northolt was used for commercial civil flights, becoming the busiest airport in Europe for a time and a major base for British European Airways.
• The furthest airport from RAF Northolt (NHT) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is located 11,871 miles (19,105 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
• Civil flights ceased when the central area at Heathrow opened in 1954 with Northolt reverting to sole military use in May that year.
• The closest airport to RAF Northolt (NHT) is London Heathrow Airport (LHR), which is located only 6 miles (9 kilometers) SSW of NHT.
• The remains of a Hawker Hurricane flown by Flying Officer Ludwik Witold Paszkiewicz, the first pilot in No. 303 Squadron to shoot down an enemy aircraft, were donated to the station in June 2008.
• In December 1946, after taking off during a heavy snowstorm, a Douglas DC-3 operated by British European Airways, flying from Northolt to Glasgow, crashed onto the roof of a house in South Ruislip.
• Northolt pre-dates the establishment of the Royal Air Force by almost three years, having opened in May 1915.
• Following Louis Blériot's first flight across the English Channel in 1909, the British Army considered the necessity of defending the United Kingdom from a future air attack.
• In 1943, the station became the first to fly sorties using Supermarine Spitfire Mk IXs in German airspace in support of bomber operations.

Facts about Aéroport de Futuna - Pointe-Vele Pointe Vele Airport (FUT):

• Aéroport de Futuna - Pointe-Vele Pointe Vele Airport (FUT) currently has only 1 runway.
• The closest airport to Aéroport de Futuna - Pointe-Vele Pointe Vele Airport (FUT) is Wallis Island (WLS), which is located 145 miles (233 kilometers) ENE of FUT.
• The furthest airport from Aéroport de Futuna - Pointe-Vele Pointe Vele Airport (FUT) is Diori Hamani International Airport (NIM), which is nearly antipodal to Aéroport de Futuna - Pointe-Vele Pointe Vele Airport (meaning Aéroport de Futuna - Pointe-Vele Pointe Vele Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Diori Hamani International Airport), and is located 12,377 miles (19,919 kilometers) away in Niamey, Niger.
• Because of Aéroport de Futuna - Pointe-Vele Pointe Vele Airport's relatively low elevation of 20 feet, planes can take off or land at Aéroport de Futuna - Pointe-Vele Pointe Vele 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.