Nonstop flight route between Colby, Kansas, United States and Fairford, England, United Kingdom:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Colby Municipal Airport (CBK), Colby, Kansas, United States and RAF Fairford (FFD), Fairford, England, United Kingdom would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,497 miles (or 7,237 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 Colby Municipal 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 Colby Municipal Airport 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 Colby Municipal Airport (CBK):

• The closest airport to Colby Municipal Airport (CBK) is Goodland Municipal Airport (GLD), which is located 35 miles (56 kilometers) W of CBK.
• The furthest airport from Colby Municipal Airport (CBK) is Sir Gaëtan Duval Airport (RRG), which is located 10,792 miles (17,368 kilometers) away in Rodrigues Island, Mauritius.
• In addition to being known as "Colby Municipal Airport", another name for CBK is "Shalz Field".
• Colby Municipal Airport (CBK) has 3 runways.
• Shalz Field covers 473 acres.
• The airport's page at the Kansas Department of Transportation Airport Directory lists the name as Shaltz Field, but that spelling is incorrect as per the Federal Register dated March 8, 2004.

Facts about RAF Fairford (FFD):

• In 1950, as a result of the beginning of the Cold War, the airfield was transferred to the U.S.
• In the early years of the Cold War the British and American governments reached an agreement under which elements of the USAF Strategic Air Command would be based in the UK.
• 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.
• RAF Fairford was the only TransOceanic Abort Landing site for NASA's Space Shuttle in the UK.
• 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.
• The closest airport to RAF Fairford (FFD) is RAF Brize Norton (BZZ), which is located only 10 miles (16 kilometers) ENE of 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.
• Due to RAF Fairford's location and infrastructure, the airfield is designated as a forward operating location for the US Air Force.