Nonstop flight route between Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, United States and Sacramento, California, United States:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from FFA to SMF:
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- About this route
- FFA Airport Information
- SMF Airport Information
- Facts about FFA
- Facts about SMF
- Map of Nearest Airports to FFA
- List of Nearest Airports to FFA
- Map of Furthest Airports from FFA
- List of Furthest Airports from FFA
- Map of Nearest Airports to SMF
- List of Nearest Airports to SMF
- Map of Furthest Airports from SMF
- List of Furthest Airports from SMF
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between First Flight Airport (FFA), Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, United States and Sacramento International Airport (SMF), Sacramento, California, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 2,502 miles (or 4,027 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 First Flight Airport and Sacramento International Airport, 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 First Flight Airport and Sacramento International Airport. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | FFA / KFFA |
Airport Name: | First Flight Airport |
Location: | Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 36°1'5"N by 75°40'17"W |
Area Served: | Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina |
Operator/Owner: | U.S. National Park Service |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 13 feet (4 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from FFA |
More Information: | FFA Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | SMF / KSMF |
Airport Name: | Sacramento International Airport |
Location: | Sacramento, California, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 38°41'44"N by 121°35'26"W |
Area Served: | Sacramento, California |
Operator/Owner: | County of Sacramento |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 27 feet (8 meters) |
# of Runways: | 2 |
View all routes: | Routes from SMF |
More Information: | SMF Maps & Info |
Facts about First Flight Airport (FFA):
- On December 17, 1903 the first successful powered heavier-than-air aircraft flight occurred here, conducted by the Wright brothers.
- Because of First Flight Airport's relatively low elevation of 13 feet, planes can take off or land at First Flight 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.
- The airport itself is famous for being the site of hundreds of pre-flight gliding experiments carried out by the Wright brothers.
- The closest airport to First Flight Airport (FFA) is Dare County Regional Airport (MEO), which is located only 7 miles (11 kilometers) S of FFA.
- The furthest airport from First Flight Airport (FFA) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,810 miles (19,007 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
- First Flight Airport (FFA) currently has only 1 runway.
Facts about Sacramento International Airport (SMF):
- Sacramento International Airport handled 8,910,570 passengers last year.
- Sacramento County has tried to entice Virgin America into adding a Los Angeles route by giving them 400,000 dollars to operate out of terminal A or 150,000 dollars to operate in terminal B.
- Between 1990 and 2007 Sacramento International Airport had a high incidence of bird strikes due to its location in an avian migratory route.
- Because of Sacramento International Airport's relatively low elevation of 27 feet, planes can take off or land at Sacramento International 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.
- California Pacific Airlines hopes to fly between Sacramento and Carlsbad in southern California in 2013.
- Due to housing growth around Sacramento Executive Airport, the City of Sacramento Planning Department and the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors commissioned a study in the 1950s to move airline flights to a less populated area.
- As the nation’s economy was taking a hit in 2008, commercial aviation was challenged by reduced passenger numbers and increasing fuel and other costs.
- The closest airport to Sacramento International Airport (SMF) is Sacramento Airport McClellan Airfield (MCC), which is located only 10 miles (17 kilometers) E of SMF.
- Southwest Airlines, Alaska Airlines, Horizon Air, and Trans World Airlines were added to the list of carriers at Sacramento.
- Sacramento International Airport (SMF) has 2 runways.
- The furthest airport from Sacramento International Airport (SMF) is Tôlanaro Airport (FTU), which is located 11,280 miles (18,154 kilometers) away in Tôlanaro, Madagascar.