Nonstop flight route between Chichester, England, United Kingdom and Santa Maria, California, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Chichester/Goodwood Airport (QUG), Chichester, England, United Kingdom and Santa Maria Public Airport (SMX), Santa Maria, California, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,473 miles (or 8,807 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 Chichester/Goodwood Airport and Santa Maria Public 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 Chichester/Goodwood Airport and Santa Maria Public 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 Chichester/Goodwood Airport (QUG):

• The airfield was built during the Second World War by the Royal Air Force as a relief landing ground for nearby RAF Tangmere.
• The furthest airport from Chichester/Goodwood Airport (QUG) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is located 11,910 miles (19,167 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
• Because of Chichester/Goodwood Airport's relatively low elevation of 110 feet, planes can take off or land at Chichester/Goodwood 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 closest airport to Chichester/Goodwood Airport (QUG) is Bembridge Airport (BBP), which is located only 20 miles (32 kilometers) SW of QUG.
• Chichester/Goodwood Airport (QUG) has 4 runways.
• In addition to being known as "Chichester/Goodwood Airport", other names for QUG include "Goodwood Airfield" and "Goodwood Aerodrome".
• After the war the airfield was returned to the Goodwood Estate and the perimeter track of the airfield has been used since the late 1940s for motor racing and called the Goodwood Circuit.

Facts about Santa Maria Public Airport (SMX):

• After the war Santa Barbara County and the city of Santa Maria acquired the land and facilities through two grants in 1948.
• Because of Santa Maria Public Airport's relatively low elevation of 261 feet, planes can take off or land at Santa Maria Public 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 furthest airport from Santa Maria Public Airport (SMX) is Pierrefonds Airport (ZSE), which is located 11,466 miles (18,453 kilometers) away in Saint-Pierre, Réunion.
• In addition to being known as "Santa Maria Public Airport", another name for SMX is "Capt. G. Allan Hancock FieldSanta Maria Army Airfield".
• The extended primary runway at Santa Maria is paved to 8,004 feet, giving the airport the longest civil runway between Los Angeles and San Francisco on the central coast and Vandenberg AFB's runway are longer).
• Santa Maria Public Airport (SMX) has 2 runways.
• A runway extension opened on May 3, 2012, from 6,304 ft.
• Santa Maria Public Airport is three miles south of Santa Maria, in northern Santa Barbara County, California.
• The closest airport to Santa Maria Public Airport (SMX) is Vandenberg Air Force Base (VBG), which is located only 13 miles (21 kilometers) SSW of SMX.