Nonstop flight route between Fairford, England, United Kingdom and Fort Benning, Columbus, Georgia, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between RAF Fairford (FFD), Fairford, England, United Kingdom and Lawson Army Airfield (Fort Benning) (LSF), Fort Benning, Columbus, Georgia, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,229 miles (or 6,806 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 Lawson Army Airfield (Fort Benning), 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 Lawson Army Airfield (Fort Benning). 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.
• Royal Air Force Fairford or more simply RAF Fairford is a Royal Air Force station in Gloucestershire, England which is currently a standby airfield and therefore not in everyday use.
• 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.
• KC-135 and KC-10 tankers deployed to Fairford supported Operation El Dorado Canyon against Libya in 1986.
• The closest airport to RAF Fairford (FFD) is RAF Brize Norton (BZZ), which is located only 10 miles (16 kilometers) ENE of FFD.
• 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 Lawson Army Airfield (Fort Benning) (LSF):

• The closest airport to Lawson Army Airfield (Fort Benning) (LSF) is Columbus Metropolitan Airport (CSG), which is located only 13 miles (21 kilometers) NNE of LSF.
• In 1967, Lawson Army Airfield was used for filming as part of the production of The Green Berets.
• Because of Lawson Army Airfield (Fort Benning)'s relatively low elevation of 232 feet, planes can take off or land at Lawson Army Airfield (Fort Benning) 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.
• In 1933, the Army spent $855,060 upgrading Lawson's facilities.
• The furthest airport from Lawson Army Airfield (Fort Benning) (LSF) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,271 miles (18,139 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
• Lawson Army Airfield (Fort Benning) (LSF) currently has only 1 runway.