Nonstop flight route between Castries, Saint Lucia and Ruislip, England, United Kingdom:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between George F. L. Charles Airport (SLU), Castries, Saint Lucia and RAF Northolt (NHT), Ruislip, England, United Kingdom would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,209 miles (or 6,773 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 RAF Northolt, 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 RAF Northolt. 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):

• 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 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.
• George F. L. Charles Airport (SLU) currently has only 1 runway.
• 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 RAF Northolt (NHT):

• During 1952 a total of 50,000 air movements were recorded per annum, making the airfield the busiest in Europe.
• Following Louis Blériot's first flight across the English Channel in 1909, the British Army considered the necessity of defending the United Kingdom from a future air attack.
• Thirty Allied airmen including servicemen from Belgium, Canada, Czechoslovakia, New Zealand, Poland and the United Kingdom were killed flying from RAF Northolt during the Battle of Britain, of whom ten were Polish.
• 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 1916, No. 43 Squadron was formed under the command of Major Sholto Douglas.
• The closest airport to RAF Northolt (NHT) is London Heathrow Airport (LHR), which is located only 6 miles (9 kilometers) SSW of NHT.
• An additional memorial to British, Polish, Australian and New Zealand aircrew killed during the Battle of Britain was unveiled in September 2010.
• Civil flights ceased when the central area at Heathrow opened in 1954 with Northolt reverting to sole military use in May that year.