Nonstop flight route between Fairford, England, United Kingdom and Half Moon Bay, California, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between RAF Fairford (FFD), Fairford, England, United Kingdom and Half Moon Bay AirportHalf Moon Bay Flight Strip (HAF), Half Moon Bay, California, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,313 miles (or 8,551 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 Half Moon Bay AirportHalf Moon Bay Flight Strip, 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 Half Moon Bay AirportHalf Moon Bay Flight Strip. 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.
• 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 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.
• The closest airport to RAF Fairford (FFD) is RAF Brize Norton (BZZ), which is located only 10 miles (16 kilometers) ENE of FFD.
• Operations staff and maintenance personnel were permanently assigned, but aircraft, aircrews and crew chiefs were temporarily assigned to the 11th Strategic Group for the European Tanker Task Force on rotation.

Facts about Half Moon Bay AirportHalf Moon Bay Flight Strip (HAF):

• Because of Half Moon Bay AirportHalf Moon Bay Flight Strip's relatively low elevation of 66 feet, planes can take off or land at Half Moon Bay AirportHalf Moon Bay Flight Strip 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 Half Moon Bay Airport is located approximately 20 miles south of San Francisco.
• The airport hosts an annual benefit event in April, Pacific Coast Dream Machines, which features aircraft and automobiles.
• The closest airport to Half Moon Bay AirportHalf Moon Bay Flight Strip (HAF) is San Francisco International Airport (SFO), which is located only 10 miles (16 kilometers) NE of HAF.
• The furthest airport from Half Moon Bay AirportHalf Moon Bay Flight Strip (HAF) is Tôlanaro Airport (FTU), which is located 11,375 miles (18,307 kilometers) away in Tôlanaro, Madagascar.
• On 1 June 1945, the War Department issued a five year permit to the U.S.
• Half Moon Bay AirportHalf Moon Bay Flight Strip (HAF) currently has only 1 runway.
• Following the end of World War II, San Mateo County acquired the airport from the Navy in 1947.