Nonstop flight route between Castro, Chile and Lakenheath, England, United Kingdom:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from WCA to LKZ:
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- About this route
- WCA Airport Information
- LKZ Airport Information
- Facts about WCA
- Facts about LKZ
- Map of Nearest Airports to WCA
- List of Nearest Airports to WCA
- Map of Furthest Airports from WCA
- List of Furthest Airports from WCA
- Map of Nearest Airports to LKZ
- List of Nearest Airports to LKZ
- Map of Furthest Airports from LKZ
- List of Furthest Airports from LKZ
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Gamboa Airport (WCA), Castro, Chile and RAF Lakenheath (LKZ), Lakenheath, England, United Kingdom would travel a Great Circle distance of 7,907 miles (or 12,725 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 Gamboa 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 Gamboa Airport and RAF Lakenheath. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure Airport Information:
| IATA / ICAO Codes: | WCA / SCST |
| Airport Names: |
|
| Location: | Castro, Chile |
| GPS Coordinates: | 42°29'17"S by 73°46'30"W |
| Area Served: | Castro, Chile |
| Airport Type: | Public |
| Elevation: | 187 feet (57 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 1 |
| View all routes: | Routes from WCA |
| More Information: | WCA Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
| IATA / ICAO Codes: | LKZ / EGUL |
| Airport Name: | RAF Lakenheath |
| Location: | Lakenheath, England, United Kingdom |
| GPS Coordinates: | 52°24'29"N by 0°33'24"E |
| Operator/Owner: | Ministry of Defence |
| View all routes: | Routes from LKZ |
| More Information: | LKZ Maps & Info |
Facts about Gamboa Airport (WCA):
- Because of Gamboa Airport's relatively low elevation of 187 feet, planes can take off or land at Gamboa 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 Gamboa Airport (WCA) is Wuhai Airport (WUA), which is nearly antipodal to Gamboa Airport (meaning Gamboa Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Wuhai Airport), and is located 12,248 miles (19,711 kilometers) away in Wuhai, Inner Mongolia, China.
- The closest airport to Gamboa Airport (WCA) is Mocopulli Airport (MHC), which is located only 11 miles (17 kilometers) NNE of WCA.
- In addition to being known as "Gamboa Airport", another name for WCA is "Aeródromo Gamboa".
- Gamboa Airport (WCA) currently has only 1 runway.
Facts about RAF Lakenheath (LKZ):
- Taking part in more than 350 operations, more than half mine-laying, 149 Squadron had one of the lowest percentage loss rates of all Stirling squadrons.
- By 1950, Lakenheath was one of three main operating bases for the U.S.
- In conjunction with this transfer, control of RAF Lakenheath was transferred from Strategic Air Command back to USAFE.
- The closest airport to RAF Lakenheath (LKZ) is RAF Mildenhall (MHZ), which is located only 4 miles (7 kilometers) SW of LKZ.
- 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 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.
- The reason for the departure of the two bomber squadrons was Lakenheath's selection for upgrading to a Very Heavy Bomber airfield.
- Cold War tensions with the Soviet Union in Europe began as early as 1946.
