Nonstop flight route between Saül, French Guiana and Tonopah, Nevada, United States:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from XAU to XSD:
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- About this route
- XAU Airport Information
- XSD Airport Information
- Facts about XAU
- Facts about XSD
- Map of Nearest Airports to XAU
- List of Nearest Airports to XAU
- Map of Furthest Airports from XAU
- List of Furthest Airports from XAU
- Map of Nearest Airports to XSD
- List of Nearest Airports to XSD
- Map of Furthest Airports from XSD
- List of Furthest Airports from XSD
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Saül Airport (XAU), Saül, French Guiana and Tonopah Test Range Airport (XSD), Tonopah, Nevada, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,634 miles (or 7,458 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 Saül Airport and Tonopah Test Range Airport, 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 Saül Airport and Tonopah Test Range Airport. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure Airport Information:
| IATA / ICAO Codes: | XAU / SOOS |
| Airport Name: | Saül Airport |
| Location: | Saül, French Guiana |
| GPS Coordinates: | 3°36'48"N by 53°12'15"W |
| Area Served: | Saül, French Guiana |
| Operator/Owner: | Conseil Général de la Guyane |
| Elevation: | 735 feet (224 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 1 |
| View all routes: | Routes from XAU |
| More Information: | XAU Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
| IATA / ICAO Codes: | XSD / KTNX |
| Airport Name: | Tonopah Test Range Airport |
| Location: | Tonopah, Nevada, United States |
| GPS Coordinates: | 37°47'40"N by 116°46'42"W |
| View all routes: | Routes from XSD |
| More Information: | XSD Maps & Info |
Facts about Saül Airport (XAU):
- Because of Saül Airport's relatively low elevation of 735 feet, planes can take off or land at Saül 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.
- Saül Airport (XAU) currently has only 1 runway.
- The furthest airport from Saül Airport (XAU) is Namrole Airport (NRE), which is nearly antipodal to Saül Airport (meaning Saül Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Namrole Airport), and is located 12,419 miles (19,986 kilometers) away in Buru, Indonesia.
- The closest airport to Saül Airport (XAU) is Maripasoula Airport (MPY), which is located 58 miles (93 kilometers) W of XAU.
Facts about Tonopah Test Range Airport (XSD):
- None of the Soviet-designed aircraft at Tonopah flew in bad weather or at night.
- The furthest airport from Tonopah Test Range Airport (XSD) is Pierrefonds Airport (ZSE), which is located 11,207 miles (18,036 kilometers) away in Saint-Pierre, Réunion.
- In 2006, the Constant Peg program was declassified and the USAF held a series of press conferences about the former top secret US MiGs.
- The closest airport to Tonopah Test Range Airport (XSD) is Tonopah Airport (TPH), which is located 25 miles (40 kilometers) NW of XSD.
- Several locations were considered, Michael Army Airfield at the Dugway Proving Grounds in Utah, and the Gila Bend Air Force Auxiliary Field on the Goldwater Range in Arizona.
- The MiG-21 posed a major threat to Israeli Air Defenses as well as to American pilots over the skies of North Vietnam.
- Beginning in October 1979 Tonopah Test Range Airport was reconstructed and expanded.
