Nonstop flight route between Bainbridge, Georgia, United States and Fairford, England, United Kingdom:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Decatur County Industrial Air Park (BGE), Bainbridge, Georgia, United States and RAF Fairford (FFD), Fairford, England, United Kingdom would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,282 miles (or 6,891 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 Decatur County Industrial Air Park 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 Decatur County Industrial Air Park and RAF Fairford. 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 Decatur County Industrial Air Park (BGE):

• The closest airport to Decatur County Industrial Air Park (BGE) is Tallahassee Regional Airport (TLH), which is located 43 miles (70 kilometers) SSE of BGE.
• Following entry of the United States into World War II, the Chief of the Army Air Corps directed the Air Corps Flying Training Command Southeast Training Center to immediately take action to select air base sites needed to increase its pilot training rate to meet anticipated wartime demands.
• Decatur County Industrial Air Park (BGE) has 2 runways.
• The contractor broke ground on 3 April 1942, for Bainbridge Army Airfield.
• Today, Bainbridge is used for various purposes in addition to a small amount of aviation activity.
• Because of Decatur County Industrial Air Park's relatively low elevation of 141 feet, planes can take off or land at Decatur County Industrial Air Park 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 furthest airport from Decatur County Industrial Air Park (BGE) is Kalbarri Airport (KAX), which is located 11,278 miles (18,150 kilometers) away in Kalbarri, Western Australia, Australia.
• There was little need, however, for the airfield, and in the immediate postwar years, farmers leased the open areas of the airfield for cultivation and the cantonment area was used for various purposes.

Facts about RAF Fairford (FFD):

• Due to the deteriorating airfield facilities and its unique NATO heavy bomber mission, RAF Fairford underwent a $100 million upgrade of its runway and fuel systems in the largest NATO funded airfield construction project within a NATO country since the end of the Cold War.
• RAF Fairford was the only TransOceanic Abort Landing site for NASA's Space Shuttle in the UK.
• Operations staff and maintenance personnel were permanently assigned, but aircraft, aircrews and crew chiefs were temporarily assigned to the 11th Strategic Group for the European Tanker Task Force on rotation.
• KC-135 and KC-10 tankers deployed to Fairford supported Operation El Dorado Canyon against Libya in 1986.
• RAF Fairford was constructed in 1944 to serve as an airfield for British and American troop carriers and gliders for the D-Day invasion of Normandy during World War II.
• The closest airport to RAF Fairford (FFD) is RAF Brize Norton (BZZ), which is located only 10 miles (16 kilometers) ENE of FFD.
• On 15 September 2009, it was announced that the USAF will withdraw all their uniformed staff from the station by September 2010, after which it will be run on a "care and maintenance" basis.
• 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.