Nonstop flight route between Hailey, Idaho, United States and Falkland Islands:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Friedman Memorial Airport (SUN), Hailey, Idaho, United States and RAF Mount Pleasant (MPN), Falkland Islands would travel a Great Circle distance of 7,381 miles (or 11,879 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 Friedman Memorial Airport and RAF Mount Pleasant, 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 Friedman Memorial Airport and RAF Mount Pleasant. 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 Friedman Memorial Airport (SUN):

• The Friedman family donated much of the land for the airport to the city of Hailey in 1931 and the airport was officially recognized in 1932.
• The furthest airport from Friedman Memorial Airport (SUN) is Pierrefonds Airport (ZSE), which is located 10,794 miles (17,372 kilometers) away in Saint-Pierre, Réunion.
• Friedman Memorial Airport (SUN) currently has only 1 runway.
• Delta Air Lines is the dominant carrier at the airport via its Delta Connection service which was operated for many years by SkyWest Airlines with Embraer EMB-120 "Brasilia" turboprop aircraft.
• Because of Friedman Memorial Airport's high elevation of 5,318 feet, planes must typically fly at a faster airspeed in order to takeoff or land at SUN. Combined with a high temperature, this could make SUN a "Hot & High" airport, where the air density is lower than it would otherwise be at sea level.
• The closest airport to Friedman Memorial Airport (SUN) is Challis Airport (CHL), which is located 71 miles (114 kilometers) N of SUN.

Facts about RAF Mount Pleasant (MPN):

• After the surrender of the Argentine ground forces on the islands, the British still faced the problem of potential Argentine air attacks from Argentina, so an aircraft carrier had to remain on station to guard the islands with its squadron of Sea Harriers until the local airfield was prepared for jet aircraft.
• The furthest airport from RAF Mount Pleasant (MPN) is Mohe Gulian Airport (OHE), which is nearly antipodal to RAF Mount Pleasant (meaning RAF Mount Pleasant is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Mohe Gulian Airport), and is located 12,353 miles (19,879 kilometers) away in Mohe, Heilongjiang, China.
• Flights are planned to Saint Helena when a new airport there opens in 2016.
• The closest airport to RAF Mount Pleasant (MPN) is Port Stanley Airport (PSY), which is located 30 miles (49 kilometers) ENE of MPN.
• The British government felt that Stanley airfield was not the best option for a large, permanent station and decided to construct a new RAF station and make it the centrepiece of considerably strengthened air defences for the Falkland Islands, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands.
• There is also a Joint Communications Unit providing the electronic warfare and command and control systems for the Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force.