Nonstop flight route between Watertown, South Dakota, United States and Fairford, England, United Kingdom:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from ATY to FFD:
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- About this route
- ATY Airport Information
- FFD Airport Information
- Facts about ATY
- Facts about FFD
- Map of Nearest Airports to ATY
- List of Nearest Airports to ATY
- Map of Furthest Airports from ATY
- List of Furthest Airports from ATY
- Map of Nearest Airports to FFD
- List of Nearest Airports to FFD
- Map of Furthest Airports from FFD
- List of Furthest Airports from FFD
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Watertown Regional Airport (ATY), Watertown, South Dakota, United States and RAF Fairford (FFD), Fairford, England, United Kingdom would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,086 miles (or 6,576 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 Watertown Regional Airport and RAF Fairford, 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 Watertown Regional Airport and RAF Fairford. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure Airport Information:
| IATA / ICAO Codes: | ATY / KATY |
| Airport Names: |
|
| Location: | Watertown, South Dakota, United States |
| GPS Coordinates: | 44°54'50"N by 97°9'16"W |
| Area Served: | Watertown, South Dakota |
| Operator/Owner: | City of Watertown |
| Airport Type: | Public |
| Elevation: | 1749 feet (533 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 2 |
| View all routes: | Routes from ATY |
| More Information: | ATY Maps & Info |
Arrival 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 |
Facts about Watertown Regional Airport (ATY):
- In addition to being known as "Watertown Regional Airport", another name for ATY is "Watertown Army Airfield".
- Federal Aviation Administration records say the airport had 4,975 passenger boardings in calendar year 2008, 5,824 in 2009 and 7,814 in 2010.
- Watertown Regional Airport (ATY) has 2 runways.
- During World War II the airfield was used by the United States Army Air Forces.
- The furthest airport from Watertown Regional Airport (ATY) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 10,571 miles (17,013 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
- The closest airport to Watertown Regional Airport (ATY) is Brookings Regional Airport (BKX), which is located 45 miles (73 kilometers) SSE of ATY.
Facts about RAF Fairford (FFD):
- 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.
- 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.
- Due to RAF Fairford's location and infrastructure, the airfield is designated as a forward operating location for the US Air Force.
- In 1950, as a result of the beginning of the Cold War, the airfield was transferred to the U.S.
- The closest airport to RAF Fairford (FFD) is RAF Brize Norton (BZZ), which is located only 10 miles (16 kilometers) ENE of FFD.
- Fairford was chosen in 1969 as the British test centre for the Concorde aircraft, which continued until 1977.
