Nonstop flight route between Camp Roberts, San Luis Obispo County, California, United States and Oxfordshire, England, United Kingdom:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Roberts Army Heliport (SYL), Camp Roberts, San Luis Obispo County, California, United States and RAF Brize Norton (BZZ), Oxfordshire, England, United Kingdom would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,361 miles (or 8,627 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 Roberts Army Heliport and RAF Brize Norton, 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 Roberts Army Heliport and RAF Brize Norton. 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 Roberts Army Heliport (SYL):

• Because of Roberts Army Heliport's relatively low elevation of 630 feet, planes can take off or land at Roberts Army 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 furthest airport from Roberts Army Heliport (SYL) is Pierrefonds Airport (ZSE), which is located 11,409 miles (18,361 kilometers) away in Saint-Pierre, Réunion.
• The closest airport to Roberts Army Heliport (SYL) is Paso Robles Municipal AirportEstrella Army Airfield (PRB), which is located only 12 miles (19 kilometers) SE of SYL.

Facts about RAF Brize Norton (BZZ):

• By the end of June 2011 all flying units from RAF Lyneham had moved to RAF Brize Norton.
• The furthest airport from RAF Brize Norton (BZZ) is Dunedin International Airport (DUD), which is located 11,888 miles (19,132 kilometers) away in Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand.
• Major infrastructure redevelopment began in 2010 ahead of the closure of RAF Lyneham in 2012, at which point Brize Norton became the sole air point of embarkation for British troops.
• The closest airport to RAF Brize Norton (BZZ) is RAF Fairford (FFD), which is located only 10 miles (16 kilometers) WSW of BZZ.
• Following the Falklands War, the RAF found itself lacking in the strategic transport capabilities required to sustain the expanded military presence there.
• With the closure of RAF Lyneham taking place in late 2011, the repatriation of British personnel was relocated to Brize Norton on 8 September 2011.
• The station is home to the Administrative Wing, Airport of Embarkation Wing, Depth Support Wing, Forward Support Wing and Operations Wing.
• Brize Norton is already a major airbase for the RAF's transport fleet.