Nonstop flight route between Fairford, England, United Kingdom and Gadsden, Alabama, United States:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from FFD to GAD:
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- About this route
- FFD Airport Information
- GAD Airport Information
- Facts about FFD
- Facts about GAD
- Map of Nearest Airports to FFD
- List of Nearest Airports to FFD
- Map of Furthest Airports from FFD
- List of Furthest Airports from FFD
- Map of Nearest Airports to GAD
- List of Nearest Airports to GAD
- Map of Furthest Airports from GAD
- List of Furthest Airports from GAD
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between RAF Fairford (FFD), Fairford, England, United Kingdom and Northeast Alabama Regional Airport (GAD), Gadsden, Alabama, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,193 miles (or 6,749 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 Northeast Alabama Regional 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 Northeast Alabama Regional Airport. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure 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 |
Arrival Airport Information:
| IATA / ICAO Codes: | GAD / KGAD |
| Airport Name: | Northeast Alabama Regional Airport |
| Location: | Gadsden, Alabama, United States |
| GPS Coordinates: | 33°58'22"N by 86°5'21"W |
| Area Served: | Gadsden, Alabama |
| Operator/Owner: | Gadsden Airport Authority |
| Airport Type: | Public |
| Elevation: | 569 feet (173 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 2 |
| View all routes: | Routes from GAD |
| More Information: | GAD Maps & Info |
Facts about RAF Fairford (FFD):
- 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.
- 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.
- In 1950, as a result of the beginning of the Cold War, the airfield was transferred to the U.S.
- KC-135 and KC-10 tankers deployed to Fairford supported Operation El Dorado Canyon against Libya in 1986.
- 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.
- RAF Lyneham's position as the primary tactical transport base for the RAF was emphasised in February 1971 when Nos.
- 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.
- 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.
Facts about Northeast Alabama Regional Airport (GAD):
- The closest airport to Northeast Alabama Regional Airport (GAD) is Talladega Municipal Airport (ASN), which is located 28 miles (45 kilometers) S of GAD.
- Northeast Alabama Regional Airport (GAD) has 2 runways.
- The furthest airport from Northeast Alabama Regional Airport (GAD) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,225 miles (18,064 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
- Because of Northeast Alabama Regional Airport's relatively low elevation of 569 feet, planes can take off or land at Northeast Alabama 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.
