Nonstop flight route between Fairford, England, United Kingdom and Columbus, Ohio, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between RAF Fairford (FFD), Fairford, England, United Kingdom and Port Columbus International Airport (CMH), Columbus, Ohio, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 3,780 miles (or 6,083 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 RAF Fairford and Port Columbus 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 RAF Fairford and Port Columbus International Airport. 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 RAF Fairford (FFD):

• 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.
• Due to the deteriorating airfield facilities and its unique NATO heavy bomber mission, RAF Fairford underwent a $100 million upgrade of its runway and fuel systems in the largest NATO funded airfield construction project within a NATO country since the end of the Cold War.
• The closest airport to RAF Fairford (FFD) is RAF Brize Norton (BZZ), which is located only 10 miles (16 kilometers) ENE of FFD.
• The runway was completed in 1953, and served as a forward airbase for the first Convair B-36 Peacemaker aircraft from Carswell Air Force Base, Texas.
• 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.
• 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 14 January 2004, the 420th Air Base Group was established at RAF Fairford to improve the control of its geographically separated units that had been aligned beneath the 100th Air Refueling Wing at RAF Mildenhall.
• 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.

Facts about Port Columbus International Airport (CMH):

• Because of Port Columbus International Airport's relatively low elevation of 815 feet, planes can take off or land at Port Columbus 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.
• Port Columbus International Airport (CMH) has 2 runways.
• Runway 10L/28R is just north of the 40th parallel north.
• The closest airport to Port Columbus International Airport (CMH) is Ohio State University Airport (OSU), which is located only 11 miles (18 kilometers) WNW of CMH.
• Between 1998 and 2000, numerous airport expansion and renovation projects were completed, including a $25 million terminal renovation in 1998 that included additional retail shops, new flight information displays, enhanced lighting, upgraded flooring, and a new food court.
• The furthest airport from Port Columbus International Airport (CMH) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,361 miles (18,284 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
• A$12 million terminal building opened on September 21, 1958.
• In November 2006, Skybus Airlines began leasing 100,000 square feet of office and hangar facilities at the Columbus International AirCenter adjacent to Port Columbus.
• The airport was the home base of short-lived Skybus Airlines, which began operations from Port Columbus on May 22, 2007.