Nonstop flight route between Fairford, England, United Kingdom and Sugar Land, Texas (near Houston), United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between RAF Fairford (FFD), Fairford, England, United Kingdom and Sugar Land Regional Airport (SGR), Sugar Land, Texas (near Houston), United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,797 miles (or 7,720 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 Sugar Land 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 Sugar Land 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):

• 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 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.
• 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.
• In 1950, as a result of the beginning of the Cold War, the airfield was transferred to the U.S.
• 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 closest airport to RAF Fairford (FFD) is RAF Brize Norton (BZZ), which is located only 10 miles (16 kilometers) ENE of FFD.
• 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.

Facts about Sugar Land Regional Airport (SGR):

• Stanford Aviation Terminal
• The airport today serves the area's general aviation aircraft serving corporate, governmental, and private clientele.
• Sugar Land Regional Airport (SGR) currently has only 1 runway.
• It was formerly known as Sugar Land Municipal Airport, or Hull Field.
• Because of Sugar Land Regional Airport's relatively low elevation of 82 feet, planes can take off or land at Sugar Land Regional 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 City of Houston maintains Cullinan Park, which occupies 750 acres of land directly north and west of the Sugar Land Regional Airport, blocking possibilities for expansion.
• The closest airport to Sugar Land Regional Airport (SGR) is Andrau Airpark (AAP), which is located only 8 miles (13 kilometers) NE of SGR.
• The furthest airport from Sugar Land Regional Airport (SGR) is Cocos (Keeling) Island Airport (CCK), which is located 10,990 miles (17,687 kilometers) away in Cocos Islands, Australia.
• The City of Sugar Land purchased Hull Field on December 18, 1990 and renamed the airport "Sugar Land Municipal Airport." The City of Sugar Land opened an NFCT that it funds and operates.