Nonstop flight route between Fairford, England, United Kingdom and Tampa, Florida, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between RAF Fairford (FFD), Fairford, England, United Kingdom and Peter O. Knight Airport (TPF), Tampa, Florida, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,343 miles (or 6,989 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 Peter O. Knight 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 Peter O. Knight 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):

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

Facts about Peter O. Knight Airport (TPF):

• The local fixed base operator was recently sold by Tampa Flying Service and is now operated by Atlas Aviation.
• The residents of Davis Island where the airport is located have complained about the noise and appearance of the facilities.
• The extension of the north/east and south/west ends had been completed in 2008 with no noticeable impact to the local area.
• Islands Fest is held in April.
• The closest airport to Peter O. Knight Airport (TPF) is MacDill Air Force Base (MCF), which is located only 6 miles (10 kilometers) SW of TPF.
• The furthest airport from Peter O. Knight Airport (TPF) is Shark Bay Airport (MJK), which is located 11,440 miles (18,411 kilometers) away in Monkey Mia, Western Australia, Australia.
• Because of Peter O. Knight Airport's relatively low elevation of 8 feet, planes can take off or land at Peter O. Knight 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.
• Peter O. Knight Airport (TPF) has 2 runways.
• The airport's original administration building was torn down in the 1960s, and replaced by the current building.