Nonstop flight route between Salina, Utah, United States and St Athan, Wales, United Kingdom:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Salina-Gunnison Airport (SBO), Salina, Utah, United States and MoD St Athan (DGX), St Athan, Wales, United Kingdom would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,848 miles (or 7,803 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 Salina-Gunnison Airport and MoD St Athan, 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 Salina-Gunnison Airport and MoD St Athan. 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 Salina-Gunnison Airport (SBO):

• Because of Salina-Gunnison Airport's high elevation of 5,159 feet, planes must typically fly at a faster airspeed in order to takeoff or land at SBO. Combined with a high temperature, this could make SBO a "Hot & High" airport, where the air density is lower than it would otherwise be at sea level.
• In addition to being known as "Salina-Gunnison Airport", another name for SBO is "44U".
• The closest airport to Salina-Gunnison Airport (SBO) is Fillmore Municipal Airport (FIL), which is located 29 miles (46 kilometers) W of SBO.
• The furthest airport from Salina-Gunnison Airport (SBO) is Sir Gaëtan Duval Airport (RRG), which is located 11,075 miles (17,823 kilometers) away in Rodrigues Island, Mauritius.
• Salina-Gunnison Airport (SBO) currently has only 1 runway.

Facts about MoD St Athan (DGX):

• The last aircraft to be serviced at St Athan, a Vickers VC10, departed the site on 23 February 2012.
• The closest airport to MoD St Athan (DGX) is Cardiff Airport (CWL), which is located only 4 miles (6 kilometers) E of DGX.
• St Athan also became the major RAF maintenance base for Vulcan, Victor, Buccaner, Phantom, Harrier, Tornado, Jaguar, Hawk and VC10 aircraft, originally under direct RAF control, but latterly under the auspices of the Defence Aviation Repair Agency.
• Because of MoD St Athan's relatively low elevation of 163 feet, planes can take off or land at MoD St Athan 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.
• MoD St Athan (DGX) currently has only 1 runway.
• The furthest airport from MoD St Athan (DGX) is Dunedin International Airport (DUD), which is located 11,960 miles (19,248 kilometers) away in Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand.
• On 26 August 1993 an ATC civilian instructor was seriously injured and the RAF Volunteer Reserve pilot, Group Captain Roger Sweatman, was killed when their Chipmunk trainer, on an air experience flight, crashed after encountering difficulties during a simulated emergency low-height manoeuvre on take-off.
• In March 2004, however, DARA announced the loss of 550 jobs at St Athan as part of streamlining to make DARA more efficient and better able to compete with the private sector for lucrative aircraft repair contracts, but also because they lost out to a direct RAF bid for a contract to upgrade the air force's fleet of ageing Harrier jump jet aircraft.
• RAF St Athan was also home for the Royal Air Force Administrative Apprentice Training School.