Nonstop flight route between Fairford, England, United Kingdom and San Antonio, Texas, United States:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from FFD to SSF:
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- About this route
- FFD Airport Information
- SSF Airport Information
- Facts about FFD
- Facts about SSF
- Map of Nearest Airports to FFD
- List of Nearest Airports to FFD
- Map of Furthest Airports from FFD
- List of Furthest Airports from FFD
- Map of Nearest Airports to SSF
- List of Nearest Airports to SSF
- Map of Furthest Airports from SSF
- List of Furthest Airports from SSF
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between RAF Fairford (FFD), Fairford, England, United Kingdom and Stinson Municipal Airport (SSF), San Antonio, Texas, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,923 miles (or 7,922 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 RAF Fairford and Stinson Municipal 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 RAF Fairford and Stinson Municipal Airport. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | FFD / EGVA |
Airport Name: | RAF Fairford |
Location: | Fairford, England, United Kingdom |
GPS Coordinates: | 51°40'55"N by 1°47'24"W |
Operator/Owner: | Ministry of Defence |
View all routes: | Routes from FFD |
More Information: | FFD Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | SSF / KSSF |
Airport Names: |
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Location: | San Antonio, Texas, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 29°20'12"N by 98°28'15"W |
Area Served: | San Antonio, Texas, USA |
Operator/Owner: | City of San Antonio |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 577 feet (176 meters) |
# of Runways: | 2 |
View all routes: | Routes from SSF |
More Information: | SSF Maps & Info |
Facts about RAF Fairford (FFD):
- RAF Fairford was the only TransOceanic Abort Landing site for NASA's Space Shuttle in the UK.
- The closest airport to RAF Fairford (FFD) is RAF Brize Norton (BZZ), which is located only 10 miles (16 kilometers) ENE of FFD.
- In 1950, as a result of the beginning of the Cold War, the airfield was transferred to the U.S.
- The runway was completed in 1953, and served as a forward airbase for the first Convair B-36 Peacemaker aircraft from Carswell Air Force Base, Texas.
- RAF Fairford is also the home of the Royal International Air Tattoo, an annual air display.
- Due to RAF Fairford's location and infrastructure, the airfield is designated as a forward operating location for the US Air Force.
- The furthest airport from RAF Fairford (FFD) is Dunedin International Airport (DUD), which is located 11,898 miles (19,148 kilometers) away in Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand.
- On 12 May 2005, USAFE activated the 501st Combat Support Wing, with headquarters at RAF Alconbury, to provide support to its GSUs in the United Kingdom.
Facts about Stinson Municipal Airport (SSF):
- Established in 1915 when the Stinson family initially leased the land from the City of San Antonio, Stinson Municipal Airport is the second oldest general aviation airport in continuous operation in the United States.
- Stinson Municipal Airport (SSF) has 2 runways.
- In addition to being known as "Stinson Municipal Airport", another name for SSF is "Stinson Field".
- The furthest airport from Stinson Municipal Airport (SSF) is Sir Gaëtan Duval Airport (RRG), which is located 11,120 miles (17,895 kilometers) away in Rodrigues Island, Mauritius.
- During World War II the airfield was used by the United States Army Air Forces as a training base.
- Because of Stinson Municipal Airport's relatively low elevation of 577 feet, planes can take off or land at Stinson Municipal 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 closest airport to Stinson Municipal Airport (SSF) is Lackland Air Force Base Joint Base San Antonio (SKF), which is located only 7 miles (12 kilometers) WNW of SSF.
- Now serving as the reliever for San Antonio International, the airport currently has an FBO, two flight schools, police and state aviation units, a part 135 operator, two aerial photography outfits, helicopter tour company and helicopter flight school, and numerous general aviation aircraft.