Nonstop flight route between Fairford, England, United Kingdom and Stockton, California, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between RAF Fairford (FFD), Fairford, England, United Kingdom and Stockton Metropolitan Airport (SCK), Stockton, California, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,253 miles (or 8,455 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 Stockton Metropolitan 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 Stockton Metropolitan 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):

• 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.
• 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.
• Fairford was chosen in 1969 as the British test centre for the Concorde aircraft, which continued until 1977.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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 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.

Facts about Stockton Metropolitan Airport (SCK):

• The closest airport to Stockton Metropolitan Airport (SCK) is Modesto City-County Airport (MOD), which is located 24 miles (39 kilometers) SE of SCK.
• On October 26, 2007 Allegiant Air began MD80 flights to Phoenix-Mesa and on July 1, 2010 to Long Beach.
• In May 1944 all of the facility was consolidated into the 3033rd Army Air Forces Base Unit.
• Because of Stockton Metropolitan Airport's relatively low elevation of 33 feet, planes can take off or land at Stockton Metropolitan 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.
• In the early 1970s the need for soldiers garrisoning Sharpe Army Depot Field Annex also decreased as military positions were converted to Civil Service positions.
• United Airlines used Boeing 727-200s and 737-200s, PSA used 727s, 737s, Douglas DC-9-30s and BAe 146-200s, Hughes Airwest had Douglas DC-9s, USAir had BAe 146-200s, and Continental Airlines and Frontier used 737s.
• On January 29, 1947 the 71.36-acres of former Stockton Field retained by the U.S.
• Stockton Metropolitan Airport (SCK) has 2 runways.
• The furthest airport from Stockton Metropolitan Airport (SCK) is Tôlanaro Airport (FTU), which is located 11,311 miles (18,203 kilometers) away in Tôlanaro, Madagascar.
• In addition to being known as "Stockton Metropolitan Airport", other names for SCK include "(former Stockton Army Airfield)" and "(former Sharpe Army Depot)".
• In the last months of 1965, support to Army Aviation expanded again as a result of the U.S.