Nonstop flight route between Fairford, England, United Kingdom and Islip, New York, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between RAF Fairford (FFD), Fairford, England, United Kingdom and Long Island MacArthur Airport (ISP), Islip, New York, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 3,349 miles (or 5,389 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 Long Island MacArthur 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 Long Island MacArthur 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Due to RAF Fairford's location and infrastructure, the airfield is designated as a forward operating location for the US Air Force.
• On 15 September 2009, it was announced that the USAF will withdraw all their uniformed staff from the station by September 2010, after which it will be run on a "care and maintenance" basis.
• KC-135 and KC-10 tankers deployed to Fairford supported Operation El Dorado Canyon against Libya in 1986.
• RAF Fairford is also the home of the Royal International Air Tattoo, an annual air display.

Facts about Long Island MacArthur Airport (ISP):

• Because of Long Island MacArthur Airport's relatively low elevation of 99 feet, planes can take off or land at Long Island MacArthur 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 closest airport to Long Island MacArthur Airport (ISP) is Long Island MacArthur Airport (HAP), which is located only 0 mile (0 kilometer) N of ISP.
• In 2004 MacArthur Airport embarked on an expansion that included a Southwest Airlines terminal built by the airline at a cost of $65 million.
• While the airport continues to expand it has added numerous amenities, including free courtesy cell phone parking.
• In April 1942, four months after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the Town of Islip contracted with the federal government to build an airfield on Town-owned land for military use.
• It is also home to Civil Air Patrol's Long Island Group's Suffolk Cadet Sqdn 10.
• MacArthur Airport currently has two concourses in one main terminal.
• The furthest airport from Long Island MacArthur Airport (ISP) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,783 miles (18,963 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
• Long Island MacArthur Airport (ISP) has 4 runways.