Nonstop flight route between Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and Fairford, England, United Kingdom:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Vancouver Harbour Water Airport (CXH), Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and RAF Fairford (FFD), Fairford, England, United Kingdom would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,656 miles (or 7,493 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 Vancouver Harbour Water 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 Vancouver Harbour Water 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 Vancouver Harbour Water Airport (CXH):

• The actual aircraft docking area, at 49°17′26.44″N 123°07′08.90″W / 49.2906778°N 123.1191389°W / 49.2906778.
• Vancouver Harbour Water Airport or Vancouver Coal Harbour Seaplane Base is located at Coal Harbour in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
• The closest airport to Vancouver Harbour Water Airport (CXH) is Vancouver International Airport (YVR), which is located only 8 miles (12 kilometers) SSW of CXH.
• The furthest airport from Vancouver Harbour Water Airport (CXH) is Tôlanaro Airport (FTU), which is located 10,677 miles (17,184 kilometers) away in Tôlanaro, Madagascar.
• In addition to being known as "Vancouver Harbour Water Airport", another name for CXH is "Vancouver Coal Harbour Seaplane Base".
• In 2007, the link to Victoria Inner Harbour Airport was, according to the Official Airline Guide, Canada's busiest air route by the number of weekly flights.
• Because of Vancouver Harbour Water Airport's relatively low elevation of 0 feet, planes can take off or land at Vancouver Harbour Water 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.

Facts about RAF Fairford (FFD):

• 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.
• Fairford was chosen in 1969 as the British test centre for the Concorde aircraft, which continued until 1977.
• RAF Lyneham's position as the primary tactical transport base for the RAF was emphasised in February 1971 when Nos.
• 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.
• Royal Air Force Fairford or more simply RAF Fairford is a Royal Air Force station in Gloucestershire, England which is currently a standby airfield and therefore not in everyday use.
• 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.
• RAF Fairford was the only TransOceanic Abort Landing site for NASA's Space Shuttle in the UK.
• 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.