Nonstop flight route between Decatur, Alabama, United States and Fairford, England, United Kingdom:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from DCU to FFD:
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- About this route
- DCU Airport Information
- FFD Airport Information
- Facts about DCU
- Facts about FFD
- Map of Nearest Airports to DCU
- List of Nearest Airports to DCU
- Map of Furthest Airports from DCU
- List of Furthest Airports from DCU
- 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 Pryor Field Regional Airport (DCU), Decatur, Alabama, United States and RAF Fairford (FFD), Fairford, England, United Kingdom would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,195 miles (or 6,751 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 Pryor Field 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 Pryor Field 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: | DCU / KDCU |
Airport Name: | Pryor Field Regional Airport |
Location: | Decatur, Alabama, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 34°39'15"N by 86°56'43"W |
Area Served: | Decatur, Alabama |
Operator/Owner: | Decatur/Athens Airport Authority |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 592 feet (180 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from DCU |
More Information: | DCU 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 Pryor Field Regional Airport (DCU):
- The furthest airport from Pryor Field Regional Airport (DCU) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,180 miles (17,992 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
- Because of Pryor Field Regional Airport's relatively low elevation of 592 feet, planes can take off or land at Pryor Field Regional 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.
- Pryor Field Regional Airport (DCU) currently has only 1 runway.
- Situated next to Calhoun Community College, the airport serves the western portion of the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area and most of the Decatur Metropolitan Area.
- Flying training was performed with Fairchild PT-19s as the primary trainer.
- The closest airport to Pryor Field Regional Airport (DCU) is Huntsville International Airport (HSV), which is located only 10 miles (16 kilometers) E of DCU.
- In 2007, Chris Wright was struck by a propeller as he was "hand propping" starting his plane.
Facts about RAF Fairford (FFD):
- KC-135 and KC-10 tankers deployed to Fairford supported Operation El Dorado Canyon against Libya in 1986.
- The closest airport to RAF Fairford (FFD) is RAF Brize Norton (BZZ), which is located only 10 miles (16 kilometers) ENE of FFD.
- Due to RAF Fairford's location and infrastructure, the airfield is designated as a forward operating location for the US Air Force.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.