Nonstop flight route between Fairford, England, United Kingdom and Essington, Pennsylvania, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between RAF Fairford (FFD), Fairford, England, United Kingdom and Philadelphia Seaplane BaseChandler Field (PSQ), Essington, Pennsylvania, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 3,480 miles (or 5,600 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 Philadelphia Seaplane BaseChandler Field, 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 Philadelphia Seaplane BaseChandler Field. 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):

• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• The 422nd ABG at RAF Croughton and the 420th Air Base Squadron are responsible for the day-to-day operations of RAF Fairford, ensuring that it has adequate resources.
• 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.
• 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.
• Fairford was chosen in 1969 as the British test centre for the Concorde aircraft, which continued until 1977.

Facts about Philadelphia Seaplane BaseChandler Field (PSQ):

• The closest airport to Philadelphia Seaplane BaseChandler Field (PSQ) is Philadelphia International Airport (PHL), which is located only 3 miles (5 kilometers) ENE of PSQ.
• In addition to being known as "Philadelphia Seaplane BaseChandler Field", another name for PSQ is "9N2".
• Philadelphia Seaplane BaseChandler Field (PSQ) currently has only 1 runway.
• Because of Philadelphia Seaplane BaseChandler Field's relatively low elevation of 0 feet, planes can take off or land at Philadelphia Seaplane BaseChandler Field 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 furthest airport from Philadelphia Seaplane BaseChandler Field (PSQ) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,732 miles (18,880 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.