Nonstop flight route between Ruislip, England, United Kingdom and Norfolk, Virginia, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between RAF Northolt (NHT), Ruislip, England, United Kingdom and Naval Station Norfolk (NGU), Norfolk, Virginia, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 3,711 miles (or 5,973 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 Naval Station Norfolk, 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 Naval Station Norfolk. 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):

• Construction of the new aerodrome, to be named "RFC Military School, Ruislip", began in January 1915.
• 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.
• The closest airport to RAF Northolt (NHT) is London Heathrow Airport (LHR), which is located only 6 miles (9 kilometers) SSW of NHT.
• In April 2013, the Ministry of Defence announced a proposal to increase the number of private flights from 7,000 to 12,000 per year as part of plans to increase the income generated by the airfield.
• Northolt pre-dates the establishment of the Royal Air Force by almost three years, having opened in May 1915.
• Starting in 1946 the airfield was used by civil aviation during the construction of nearby Heathrow Airport.
• Much media attention focused on the airfield when the body of Diana, Princess of Wales, arrived there from Villacoublay airfield, in Paris, France, after her death in a car crash in the city on 31 August 1997.

Facts about Naval Station Norfolk (NGU):

• Using the same theories of Eugene Ely's flight nearly 13 years earlier, another milestone was achieved.
• The land on which the naval station is located was originally the site of the 1907 Jamestown Exposition.
• NAS Norfolk started its roots training aviators at Naval Air Detachment, Curtiss Field, Newport News, on May 19, 1917.
• The furthest airport from Naval Station Norfolk (NGU) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,762 miles (18,929 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
• Naval Station Norfolk (NGU) currently has only 1 runway.
• The closest airport to Naval Station Norfolk (NGU) is Norfolk International Airport (ORF), which is located only 7 miles (11 kilometers) ESE of NGU.
• By then, the air detachment was recognized as one of the most important sources of trained naval aviators.
• In addition to being known as "Naval Station Norfolk", another name for NGU is "Chambers Field".
• During the 1920s and '30s the Naval Station operated at a reduced operating tempo.
• In 1940, the naval aircraft program passed Congress with a production goal of 10,000 new planes later increased 15,000.
• The last permanent structure added had been the administration building, constructed in 1930.