Nonstop flight route between Fairford, England, United Kingdom and Manhattan, Kansas, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between RAF Fairford (FFD), Fairford, England, United Kingdom and Manhattan Regional Airport (MHK), Manhattan, Kansas, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,351 miles (or 7,003 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 Manhattan 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 Manhattan Regional 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):

• 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.
• 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.
• RAF Lyneham's position as the primary tactical transport base for the RAF was emphasised in February 1971 when Nos.
• The closest airport to RAF Fairford (FFD) is RAF Brize Norton (BZZ), which is located only 10 miles (16 kilometers) ENE of 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 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.
• 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.

Facts about Manhattan Regional Airport (MHK):

• The furthest airport from Manhattan Regional Airport (MHK) is Sir Gaëtan Duval Airport (RRG), which is located 10,646 miles (17,133 kilometers) away in Rodrigues Island, Mauritius.
• Capital Air Service, Inc.
• Manhattan Regional Airport (MHK) has 2 runways.
• On June 13, 1939, construction of Manhattan’s airport began with the planting of temporary grass runways.
• The airport is owned by the city of Manhattan, Kansas, and is five miles southwest of town.
• For several years in the mid-1980s Air Midwest was an Eastern Air Lines affiliate and flew 30-passenger Saab 340As in Eastern paint to Kansas City.
• The closest airport to Manhattan Regional Airport (MHK) is Marshall Army AirfieldMarshall Air Force Base (FRI), which is located only 8 miles (13 kilometers) SW of MHK.
• An older 4,100-square-foot terminal building built in 1958 is now home to General Aviation Training & Testing Service.