Nonstop flight route between Saint-Louis, Senegal and Alconbury, England, United Kingdom:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Saint-Louis Airport (XLS), Saint-Louis, Senegal and RAF AlconburyUSAAF Station 102 (AYH), Alconbury, England, United Kingdom would travel a Great Circle distance of 2,662 miles (or 4,283 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 Saint-Louis Airport and RAF AlconburyUSAAF Station 102, 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 Saint-Louis Airport and RAF AlconburyUSAAF Station 102. 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 Saint-Louis Airport (XLS):

• The closest airport to Saint-Louis Airport (XLS) is Richard Toll Airport (RDT), which is located 60 miles (96 kilometers) ENE of XLS.
• In addition to being known as "Saint-Louis Airport", another name for XLS is "Aéroport de Saint-Louis".
• The furthest airport from Saint-Louis Airport (XLS) is Santo-Pekoa International Airport (SON), which is nearly antipodal to Saint-Louis Airport (meaning Saint-Louis Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Santo-Pekoa International Airport), and is located 12,189 miles (19,616 kilometers) away in Luganville, Vanuatu.
• Saint-Louis Airport (XLS) has 2 runways.
• Because of Saint-Louis Airport's relatively low elevation of 9 feet, planes can take off or land at Saint-Louis 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.

Facts about RAF AlconburyUSAAF Station 102 (AYH):

• The closest airport to RAF AlconburyUSAAF Station 102 (AYH) is Cambridge International Airport (CBG), which is located 20 miles (32 kilometers) ESE of AYH.
• This was the time of the Blitz, when many parts of Britain were being subjected to an almost nightly series of heavy air raids.
• Squadrons 15 and 40 converted from Battles to Bristol Blenheim bombers, but did not take part in bombing raids with the new type until the German Blitzkrieg was unleashed in May 1940.
• The furthest airport from RAF AlconburyUSAAF Station 102 (AYH) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is located 11,821 miles (19,024 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
• The host unit at RAF Alconbury is the 423rd Air Base Group which supplies host unit services for Alconbury as well as RAF Molesworth.
• Also in 1942, to bring the station up to Class A airfield standards, the runways were extended to 2,000 yards, and 1,400 yards, with 26 additional hardstands along with the taxiways altered.
• In the spring of 1938, the Air Ministry acquired about 150 acres of open meadowland at Alconbury Hill, Huntingdonshire, expressly for use as a satellite airfield.