Nonstop flight route between Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, United States and Fairford, England, United Kingdom:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Capital City Airport (HAR), Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, United States and RAF Fairford (FFD), Fairford, England, United Kingdom would travel a Great Circle distance of 3,527 miles (or 5,676 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 Capital City Airport and RAF Fairford, 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 Capital City Airport and RAF Fairford. 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 Capital City Airport (HAR):

• Since 1999 Capital City Airport has been owned and operated by the Susquehanna Area Regional Airport Authority.
• Capital City Airport (HAR) has 2 runways.
• Capital City Airport is a public airport in Fairview Township, York County, Pennsylvania, three miles southeast of Harrisburg, the capital of Pennsylvania.
• The closest airport to Capital City Airport (HAR) is Harrisburg International Airport (MDT), which is located only 5 miles (8 kilometers) ESE of HAR.
• Capital City Airport is next to the Defense Distribution Center, one of the largest military distribution centers for supplies and equipment for the U.S.
• During the 1940s the airport handled war materials for the adjacent New Cumberland Army Depot and hosted the Naval Photographic Reconnaissance Training School.
• The furthest airport from Capital City Airport (HAR) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,649 miles (18,747 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
• In addition to being known as "Capital City Airport", another name for HAR is "CXY".
• Because of Capital City Airport's relatively low elevation of 347 feet, planes can take off or land at Capital City 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.

Facts about RAF Fairford (FFD):

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