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

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Hyder Seaplane Base (WHD), Hyder, Alaska, United States and RAF Lakenheath (LKZ), Lakenheath, England, United Kingdom would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,442 miles (or 7,149 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 Hyder Seaplane Base 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 Hyder Seaplane Base 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 Hyder Seaplane Base (WHD):

• There are two floats for seaplanes, one along the shoreline and another within a protected cove with a concrete launch ramp.
• In addition to being known as "Hyder Seaplane Base", another name for WHD is "4Z7".
• Because of Hyder Seaplane Base's relatively low elevation of 0 feet, planes can take off or land at Hyder Seaplane Base 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 Hyder Seaplane Base (WHD) is Port Alfred Airport (AFD), which is located 10,540 miles (16,962 kilometers) away in Port Alfred, South Africa.
• Hyder Seaplane Base (WHD) currently has only 1 runway.
• The closest airport to Hyder Seaplane Base (WHD) is Stewart Aerodrome (ZST), which is located only 2 miles (4 kilometers) NNE of WHD.

Facts about RAF Lakenheath (LKZ):

• A near nuclear accident occurred on 27 July 1956 – when a B-47 bomber crashed into a storage igloo at Lakenheath containing three MK-6 nuclear weapons while on a routine training mission.
• In response to the threat by the Soviet Union, by the 1948 Berlin blockade, President Truman decided to realign USAFE into a permanent combat-capable force.
• In early 1943, three T-2 hangars were erected on the north side of the airfield for glider storage, 40 Horsa Gliders being dispersed at Lakenheath during that year.
• 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.
• On 1 May 1951, Lakenheath was transferred from USAFE to SAC, and placed under the 3909th Air Base Group.
• By the time construction ended the war with Germany was over and RAF Lakenheath was put on a care and maintenance status.
• The closest airport to RAF Lakenheath (LKZ) is RAF Mildenhall (MHZ), which is located only 4 miles (7 kilometers) SW of LKZ.
• The first use of Lakenheath Warren as a Royal Flying Corps airfield was in World War I, when the area was made into a bombing and ground-attack range for aircraft flying from elsewhere in the area.