Nonstop flight route between Fairford, England, United Kingdom and West Palm Beach, Florida, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between RAF Fairford (FFD), Fairford, England, United Kingdom and Palm Beach County Park Airport (LNA), West Palm Beach, Florida, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,310 miles (or 6,936 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 Palm Beach County Park 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 Palm Beach County Park 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• KC-135 and KC-10 tankers deployed to Fairford supported Operation El Dorado Canyon against Libya in 1986.
• 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.

Facts about Palm Beach County Park Airport (LNA):

• Palm Beach County Park Airport (LNA) has 3 runways.
• The closest airport to Palm Beach County Park Airport (LNA) is Palm Beach International Airport (PBI), which is located only 6 miles (10 kilometers) N of LNA.
• With the improved facilities, a number of businesses moved into the airport.
• The first plane to land on the field was on August 20, 1941.
• Because of Palm Beach County Park Airport's relatively low elevation of 14 feet, planes can take off or land at Palm Beach County Park 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.
• On June 23, 1996, the flight crew of a Carnival Airlines Boeing 727 mistook Palm Beach County Airport for Palm Beach International Airport which is about five miles to the north of Palm Beach County and also has a major east-west runway.
• The 1960s saw a decline in usage at the airport from its heyday in the 50s.
• The furthest airport from Palm Beach County Park Airport (LNA) is Shark Bay Airport (MJK), which is located 11,589 miles (18,651 kilometers) away in Monkey Mia, Western Australia, Australia.