Nonstop flight route between Fairford, England, United Kingdom and Somerset, Kentucky, United States:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from FFD to SME:
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- About this route
- FFD Airport Information
- SME Airport Information
- Facts about FFD
- Facts about SME
- 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 SME
- List of Nearest Airports to SME
- Map of Furthest Airports from SME
- List of Furthest Airports from SME
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between RAF Fairford (FFD), Fairford, England, United Kingdom and Lake Cumberland Regional Airport (SME), Somerset, Kentucky, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 3,986 miles (or 6,414 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 Lake Cumberland 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 Lake Cumberland Regional 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: | SME / KSME |
| Airport Name: | Lake Cumberland Regional Airport |
| Location: | Somerset, Kentucky, United States |
| GPS Coordinates: | 37°3'12"N by 84°36'56"W |
| Area Served: | Somerset, Kentucky |
| Operator/Owner: | Somerset-Pulaski County |
| Airport Type: | Public |
| Elevation: | 927 feet (283 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 1 |
| View all routes: | Routes from SME |
| More Information: | SME Maps & Info |
Facts about RAF Fairford (FFD):
- RAF Fairford is also the home of the Royal International Air Tattoo, an annual air display.
- Due to RAF Fairford's location and infrastructure, the airfield is designated as a forward operating location for the US Air Force.
- RAF Lyneham's position as the primary tactical transport base for the RAF was emphasised in February 1971 when Nos.
- RAF Fairford was the only TransOceanic Abort Landing site for NASA's Space Shuttle in the UK.
- The closest airport to RAF Fairford (FFD) is RAF Brize Norton (BZZ), which is located only 10 miles (16 kilometers) ENE of FFD.
- 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.
- Fairford was chosen in 1969 as the British test centre for the Concorde aircraft, which continued until 1977.
- 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 Lake Cumberland Regional Airport (SME):
- Lake Cumberland Regional Airport currently does not have commercial service.
- Because of Lake Cumberland Regional Airport's relatively low elevation of 927 feet, planes can take off or land at Lake Cumberland 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 furthest airport from Lake Cumberland Regional Airport (SME) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,309 miles (18,200 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
- Lake Cumberland Regional Airport (SME) currently has only 1 runway.
- The closest airport to Lake Cumberland Regional Airport (SME) is London-Corbin Airport (LOZ), which is located 30 miles (48 kilometers) E of SME.
- Lake Cumberland Regional Airport is a public use airport located three nautical miles south of the central business district of Somerset, a city in Pulaski County, Kentucky, United States.
