Nonstop flight route between Fairford, England, United Kingdom and Penticton, British Columbia, Canada:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between RAF Fairford (FFD), Fairford, England, United Kingdom and Penticton Regional Airport (YYF), Penticton, British Columbia, Canada would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,554 miles (or 7,328 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 Penticton 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 Penticton 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):

• 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.
• Royal Air Force Fairford or more simply RAF Fairford is a Royal Air Force station in Gloucestershire, England which is currently a standby airfield and therefore not in everyday use.
• KC-135 and KC-10 tankers deployed to Fairford supported Operation El Dorado Canyon against Libya in 1986.
• In 1950, as a result of the beginning of the Cold War, the airfield was transferred to the U.S.
• Operations staff and maintenance personnel were permanently assigned, but aircraft, aircrews and crew chiefs were temporarily assigned to the 11th Strategic Group for the European Tanker Task Force on rotation.
• 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 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.
• 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.
• Due to RAF Fairford's location and infrastructure, the airfield is designated as a forward operating location for the US Air Force.

Facts about Penticton Regional Airport (YYF):

• Penticton Regional Airport has historically provided flights to several destinations, including Boeing Field—an international airport located in King County, Washington, that serves the Seattle and Tacoma areas—and the Kelowna International Airport.
• An aviation centre was constructed at the airport in 1976, which included a 12-unit motel, flight training school, and aircraft overhaul shop.
• Penticton Regional Airport handled 80,000 passengers last year.
• The airport is located at 49°27′45″N 119°36′08″W / 49.46250°N 119.60222°W / 49.46250.
• The furthest airport from Penticton Regional Airport (YYF) is Tôlanaro Airport (FTU), which is located 10,601 miles (17,060 kilometers) away in Tôlanaro, Madagascar.
• Controversy has occurred over airport ownership before.
• Penticton Regional Airport (YYF) currently has only 1 runway.
• Temporary public use of the Penticton Regional Airport was approved in 1945, and in 1956, it was given a permanent airport license.
• In addition to being known as "Penticton Regional Airport", another name for YYF is "Penticton Airport".
• The closest airport to Penticton Regional Airport (YYF) is Kelowna International Airport (YLW), which is located 36 miles (57 kilometers) NNE of YYF.