Nonstop flight route between Cheraw, South Carolina, United States and Fairford, England, United Kingdom:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Cheraw Municipal Airport (HCW), Cheraw, South Carolina, United States and RAF Fairford (FFD), Fairford, England, United Kingdom would travel a Great Circle distance of 3,907 miles (or 6,287 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 Cheraw Municipal 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 Cheraw Municipal 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 Cheraw Municipal Airport (HCW):

• Cheraw Municipal Airport (HCW) currently has only 1 runway.
• Cheraw Municipal Airport, also known as Lynch Bellinger Field, is a public use airport in Chesterfield County, South Carolina, United States.
• The furthest airport from Cheraw Municipal Airport (HCW) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,577 miles (18,631 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
• The closest airport to Cheraw Municipal Airport (HCW) is Marlboro County Jetport (BTN), which is located only 14 miles (23 kilometers) ESE of HCW.
• Because of Cheraw Municipal Airport's relatively low elevation of 239 feet, planes can take off or land at Cheraw Municipal 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.
• In addition to being known as "Cheraw Municipal Airport", other names for HCW include "Lynch Bellinger Field" and "CQW".

Facts about RAF Fairford (FFD):

• Fairford was chosen in 1969 as the British test centre for the Concorde aircraft, which continued until 1977.
• 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.
• 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 the only TransOceanic Abort Landing site for NASA's Space Shuttle in the UK.
• 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.
• KC-135 and KC-10 tankers deployed to Fairford supported Operation El Dorado Canyon against Libya in 1986.
• 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 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.