Nonstop flight route between Tanana, Alaska, United States and Lakenheath, England, United Kingdom:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Ralph M. Calhoun Memorial Airport (TAL), Tanana, Alaska, United States and RAF Lakenheath (LKZ), Lakenheath, England, United Kingdom would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,184 miles (or 6,733 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 Ralph M. Calhoun Memorial Airport and RAF Lakenheath, 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 Ralph M. Calhoun Memorial Airport and RAF Lakenheath. 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 Ralph M. Calhoun Memorial Airport (TAL):

• Ralph M. Calhoun Memorial Airport (TAL) currently has only 1 runway.
• Because of Ralph M. Calhoun Memorial Airport's relatively low elevation of 236 feet, planes can take off or land at Ralph M. Calhoun Memorial 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 Ralph M. Calhoun Memorial Airport (TAL) is Port Elizabeth International Airport (PLZ), which is located 10,280 miles (16,544 kilometers) away in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
• The closest airport to Ralph M. Calhoun Memorial Airport (TAL) is Manley Hot Springs Airport (MLY), which is located 44 miles (71 kilometers) ESE of TAL.
• As per Federal Aviation Administration records, the airport had 3,549 passenger boardings in calendar year 2008, 3,298 enplanements in 2009, and 3,241 in 2010.

Facts about RAF Lakenheath (LKZ):

• On 1 May 1951, Lakenheath was transferred from USAFE to SAC, and placed under the 3909th Air Base Group.
• Cold War tensions with the Soviet Union in Europe began as early as 1946.
• The furthest airport from RAF Lakenheath (LKZ) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is located 11,827 miles (19,034 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
• Meanwhile on 30 April 1956, two Lockheed U-2s were airlifted to RAF Lakenheath to form CIA Detachment A.
• The 48th Fighter Wing at RAF Lakenheath is the Statue of Liberty Wing, the only USAF wing with both a number and a name.
• The closest airport to RAF Lakenheath (LKZ) is RAF Mildenhall (MHZ), which is located only 4 miles (7 kilometers) SW of LKZ.
• RAF Lakenheath, and nearby, RAF Mildenhall, are the two main U.S.