Nonstop flight route between Ruislip, England, United Kingdom and Punta Islita, Costa Rica:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between RAF Northolt (NHT), Ruislip, England, United Kingdom and Punta Islita Airport (PBP), Punta Islita, Costa Rica would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,470 miles (or 8,803 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 Punta Islita 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 Punta Islita 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.
• The closest airport to RAF Northolt (NHT) is London Heathrow Airport (LHR), which is located only 6 miles (9 kilometers) SSW of NHT.
• Construction of the new aerodrome, to be named "RFC Military School, Ruislip", began in January 1915.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.

Facts about Punta Islita Airport (PBP):

• Punta Islita Airport (PBP) currently has only 1 runway.
• The furthest airport from Punta Islita Airport (PBP) is Cocos (Keeling) Island Airport (CCK), which is nearly antipodal to Punta Islita Airport (meaning Punta Islita Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Cocos (Keeling) Island Airport), and is located 12,217 miles (19,661 kilometers) away in Cocos Islands, Australia.
• The closest airport to Punta Islita Airport (PBP) is Playa Sámara/Carrillo Airport (RIK), which is located only 8 miles (13 kilometers) W of PBP.
• Because of Punta Islita Airport's relatively low elevation of 7 feet, planes can take off or land at Punta Islita 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.