Nonstop flight route between Big Mountain, Alaska, United States and Fairford, England, United Kingdom:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Big Mountain Air Force Station (BMX), Big Mountain, Alaska, United States and RAF Fairford (FFD), Fairford, England, United Kingdom would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,622 miles (or 7,439 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 Big Mountain Air Force Station 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 Big Mountain Air Force Station 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 Big Mountain Air Force Station (BMX):

• Because of Big Mountain Air Force Station's relatively low elevation of 663 feet, planes can take off or land at Big Mountain Air Force Station 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 Big Mountain Air Force Station (BMX) is Kokhanok Airport (KNK), which is located only 17 miles (27 kilometers) ENE of BMX.
• Big Mountain Air Force Station (BMX) currently has only 1 runway.
• In addition to being known as "Big Mountain Air Force Station", another name for BMX is "37AK".
• The furthest airport from Big Mountain Air Force Station (BMX) is Port Elizabeth International Airport (PLZ), which is located 10,683 miles (17,193 kilometers) away in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.

Facts about RAF Fairford (FFD):

• Fairford was chosen in 1969 as the British test centre for the Concorde aircraft, which continued until 1977.
• 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.
• The 422nd ABG at RAF Croughton and the 420th Air Base Squadron are responsible for the day-to-day operations of RAF Fairford, ensuring that it has adequate resources.
• The closest airport to RAF Fairford (FFD) is RAF Brize Norton (BZZ), which is located only 10 miles (16 kilometers) ENE of FFD.
• KC-135 and KC-10 tankers deployed to Fairford supported Operation El Dorado Canyon against Libya in 1986.
• 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.