Nonstop flight route between Fairford, England, United Kingdom and El Monte, California, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between RAF Fairford (FFD), Fairford, England, United Kingdom and San Gabriel Valley (El Monte) Airport (EMT), El Monte, California, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,370 miles (or 8,642 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 San Gabriel Valley (El Monte) 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 San Gabriel Valley (El Monte) 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):

• RAF Fairford was the only TransOceanic Abort Landing site for NASA's Space Shuttle in the UK.
• Due to RAF Fairford's location and infrastructure, the airfield is designated as a forward operating location for the US Air Force.
• 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.
• In 1950, as a result of the beginning of the Cold War, the airfield was transferred to the U.S.
• 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.
• The closest airport to RAF Fairford (FFD) is RAF Brize Norton (BZZ), which is located only 10 miles (16 kilometers) ENE of FFD.
• 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.

Facts about San Gabriel Valley (El Monte) Airport (EMT):

• The furthest airport from San Gabriel Valley (El Monte) Airport (EMT) is Pierrefonds Airport (ZSE), which is located 11,469 miles (18,458 kilometers) away in Saint-Pierre, Réunion.
• The closest airport to San Gabriel Valley (El Monte) Airport (EMT) is Brackett Field (POC), which is located only 14 miles (23 kilometers) E of EMT.
• Because of San Gabriel Valley (El Monte) Airport's relatively low elevation of 296 feet, planes can take off or land at San Gabriel Valley (El Monte) 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.
• San Gabriel Valley (El Monte) Airport (EMT) currently has only 1 runway.