Nonstop flight route between Fairford, England, United Kingdom and Columbus, Ohio, United States:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from FFD to OSU:
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- About this route
- FFD Airport Information
- OSU Airport Information
- Facts about FFD
- Facts about OSU
- Map of Nearest Airports to FFD
- List of Nearest Airports to FFD
- Map of Furthest Airports from FFD
- List of Furthest Airports from FFD
- Map of Nearest Airports to OSU
- List of Nearest Airports to OSU
- Map of Furthest Airports from OSU
- List of Furthest Airports from OSU
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between RAF Fairford (FFD), Fairford, England, United Kingdom and Ohio State University Airport (OSU), Columbus, Ohio, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 3,783 miles (or 6,089 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 Ohio State University 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 Ohio State University Airport. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | FFD / EGVA |
Airport Name: | RAF Fairford |
Location: | Fairford, England, United Kingdom |
GPS Coordinates: | 51°40'55"N by 1°47'24"W |
Operator/Owner: | Ministry of Defence |
View all routes: | Routes from FFD |
More Information: | FFD Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | OSU / KOSU |
Airport Name: | Ohio State University Airport |
Location: | Columbus, Ohio, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 40°4'46"N by 83°4'23"W |
Operator/Owner: | Ohio State University |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 905 feet (276 meters) |
# of Runways: | 4 |
View all routes: | Routes from OSU |
More Information: | OSU Maps & Info |
Facts about RAF Fairford (FFD):
- In 1950, as a result of the beginning of the Cold War, the airfield was transferred to the U.S.
- KC-135 and KC-10 tankers deployed to Fairford supported Operation El Dorado Canyon against Libya in 1986.
- On 14 January 2004, the 420th Air Base Group was established at RAF Fairford to improve the control of its geographically separated units that had been aligned beneath the 100th Air Refueling Wing at RAF Mildenhall.
- Due to RAF Fairford's location and infrastructure, the airfield is designated as a forward operating location for the US Air Force.
- 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.
- RAF Fairford is also the home of the Royal International Air Tattoo, an annual air display.
- The closest airport to RAF Fairford (FFD) is RAF Brize Norton (BZZ), which is located only 10 miles (16 kilometers) ENE of FFD.
Facts about Ohio State University Airport (OSU):
- The furthest airport from Ohio State University Airport (OSU) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,350 miles (18,267 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
- Because of Ohio State University Airport's relatively low elevation of 905 feet, planes can take off or land at Ohio State University 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 OSU Airport is home to 230 aircraft, including single- and multi-engine, piston, and turbine engine aircraft and rotorcraft.
- Ohio State University Airport (OSU) has 4 runways.
- The OSU Airport began in 1943 as a flight training facility for military and civilian pilots, operated by the OSU School of Aviation.
- The closest airport to Ohio State University Airport (OSU) is Port Columbus International Airport (CMH), which is located only 11 miles (18 kilometers) ESE of OSU.