Nonstop flight route between Santa Maria, California, United States and Tresco, Isles of Scilly, United Kingdom:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Santa Maria Public Airport (SMX), Santa Maria, California, United States and Tresco Heliport (TSO), Tresco, Isles of Scilly, United Kingdom would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,331 miles (or 8,580 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 Santa Maria Public Airport and Tresco Heliport, 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 Santa Maria Public Airport and Tresco Heliport. 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 Santa Maria Public Airport (SMX):

• 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.
• 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).
• A runway extension opened on May 3, 2012, from 6,304 ft.
• 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.
• In addition to being known as "Santa Maria Public Airport", another name for SMX is "Capt. G. Allan Hancock FieldSanta Maria Army Airfield".
• Santa Maria Public Airport (SMX) has 2 runways.
• At one point during the early 1980's Swift Aire Lines, which was based at the nearby San Luis Obispo Airport, was the only airline flying nonstop between Santa Maria and Los Angeles, primarily with Fokker F27 Friendship turboprops which the carrier had purchased new from the manufacturer.
• The airport was built by the United States Army during World War II, known as Santa Maria Army Air Field.
• 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.

Facts about Tresco Heliport (TSO):

• Tresco Heliport had a CAA Ordinary Licence that allowed flights for the public transport of passengers or for flying instruction as authorised by the licensee.
• The furthest airport from Tresco Heliport (TSO) is Dunedin International Airport (DUD), which is nearly antipodal to Tresco Heliport (meaning Tresco Heliport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Dunedin International Airport), and is located 12,116 miles (19,499 kilometers) away in Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand.
• On summer weekdays the heliport received up to six flights a day from Penzance Heliport on the mainland, declining to two services a day in winter.
• Because of Tresco Heliport's relatively low elevation of 20 feet, planes can take off or land at Tresco Heliport 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 Tresco Heliport (TSO) is St Mary's Airport (ISC), which is located only 3 miles (5 kilometers) SE of TSO.