Nonstop flight route between Akrotiri, Cyprus and Riverside/Rubidoux, California, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between RAF Akrotiri (AKT), Akrotiri, Cyprus and Flabob Airport (RIR), Riverside/Rubidoux, California, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 7,326 miles (or 11,790 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 Akrotiri and Flabob 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 Akrotiri and Flabob Airport. 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 RAF Akrotiri (AKT):

• The station commander is double-hatted and is also the officer commanding the Akrotiri or Western Sovereign Base Area, reporting to the commander of British Forces Cyprus who is also the Administrator.
• Due to the station's relative proximity to the Middle East, it is often used by British allies when needed, such as for casualty reception for Americans after the 1983 Beirut barracks bombing and as a staging post before heading into theatres of combat in the Middle East/Persian Gulf theaters.
• The furthest airport from RAF Akrotiri (AKT) is Rurutu Airport (RUR), which is located 11,556 miles (18,598 kilometers) away in Rurutu, French Polynesia.
• The U-2s of the 9th Reconnaissance Wing were used in Operation Cedar Sweep to fly surveillance over Lebanon, relaying information about Hezbollah militants to Lebanese authorities, and in Operation Highland Warrior to fly surveillance over Turkey and northern Iraq to relay information to Turkish authorities.
• The closest airport to RAF Akrotiri (AKT) is Paphos International Airport (PFO), which is located 30 miles (48 kilometers) WNW of AKT.
• In August 1970 a detachment of "G" of the Central Intelligence Agency arrived at the airfield with U-2 aircraft to monitor the Egypt/Israel Suez Canal fighting and cease fire.
• Akrotiri is also the winter training grounds of the RAF display team, the Red Arrows.
• A sizeable over-the-horizon radar antenna was erected within the base raising concern for the effect on local wildlife and on the health of people living in nearby Limassol.
• In addition to being known as "RAF Akrotiri", another name for AKT is ""Aki"".
• In July 2006 RAF Akrotiri played a major role as a transit point for personnel evacuations out of Lebanon during the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict.
• Akrotiri was also the location of the main transmitter of the well known numbers station, the Lincolnshire Poacher, although transmissions ceased in 2008.

Facts about Flabob Airport (RIR):

• Because of Flabob Airport's relatively low elevation of 764 feet, planes can take off or land at Flabob 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.
• Flabob Airport (RIR) currently has only 1 runway.
• The closest airport to Flabob Airport (RIR) is Riverside Municipal Airport (RAL), which is located only 3 miles (5 kilometers) SW of RIR.
• The furthest airport from Flabob Airport (RIR) is Pierrefonds Airport (ZSE), which is located 11,459 miles (18,441 kilometers) away in Saint-Pierre, Réunion.
• Flabob airport is home to Experimental Aircraft Association chapter #1, launched by Ray Stits and since joined by over 1,000 more EAA chapters worldwide.
• For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2004, the airport had 40,000 general aviation aircraft operations, an average of 109 per day.