Nonstop flight route between Castries, Saint Lucia and Fairbanks / Fort Wainwright, Alaska, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between George F. L. Charles Airport (SLU), Castries, Saint Lucia and Ladd Army Airfield (FBK), Fairbanks / Fort Wainwright, Alaska, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,244 miles (or 8,440 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 George F. L. Charles Airport and Ladd Army Airfield, 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 George F. L. Charles Airport and Ladd Army Airfield. 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 George F. L. Charles Airport (SLU):

• George F. L. Charles Airport (SLU) currently has only 1 runway.
• The furthest airport from George F. L. Charles Airport (SLU) is Umbu Mehang Kunda Airport (WGP), which is nearly antipodal to George F. L. Charles Airport (meaning George F. L. Charles Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Umbu Mehang Kunda Airport), and is located 12,124 miles (19,511 kilometers) away in Waingapu, Sumba, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia.
• The airport offers an RNAV, and NDB approach for only runway 9, landings on runway 27 are strictly visual.
• Because of George F. L. Charles Airport's relatively low elevation of 22 feet, planes can take off or land at George F. L. Charles 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 airport houses the George Charles Outstation of the Eastern Caribbean Civil Aviation Authority., General Aviation Services, and the Island Flyers Club.
• The closest airport to George F. L. Charles Airport (SLU) is Hewanorra International Airport (UVF), which is located 20 miles (32 kilometers) S of SLU.

Facts about Ladd Army Airfield (FBK):

• From the late 1940s into the 1950s, Ladd AFB served as the northern hub for Air Force activities in Alaska.
• The furthest airport from Ladd Army Airfield (FBK) is Port Elizabeth International Airport (PLZ), which is located 10,286 miles (16,554 kilometers) away in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
• When the Air Force was made a separate branch in 1947 the name was changed to Ladd Air Force Base.
• Alaska's transportation infrastructure at the time was so limited and the problem of military supply so acute, it also made sense to concentrate the bases along existing supply lines near Anchorage and Fairbanks.
• The closest airport to Ladd Army Airfield (FBK) is Fairbanks International Airport (FAI), which is located only 7 miles (12 kilometers) WSW of FBK.
• The major use of Ladd Field was primarily cold-weather testing of aircraft and equipment.
• Ladd Army Airfield (FBK) currently has only 1 runway.
• In addition to being known as "Ladd Army Airfield", another name for FBK is "(Ladd Air Force Base)".
• Because of Ladd Army Airfield's relatively low elevation of 454 feet, planes can take off or land at Ladd Army Airfield 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.
• Testing at Ladd Field began again in 1942, but by 1943 aircraft cold-weather testing had become a second priority, as Ladd became the hub for fighters and bombers destined for the "Forgotten 1,000 Mile War" in the Aleutians against the Japanese or on their way to Soviet forces as part of the Lend-Lease program.