Nonstop flight route between Ankeny, Iowa, United States and Fairford, England, United Kingdom:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Ankeny Regional Airport (IKV), Ankeny, Iowa, United States and RAF Fairford (FFD), Fairford, England, United Kingdom would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,111 miles (or 6,616 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 Ankeny Regional 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 Ankeny Regional 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 Ankeny Regional Airport (IKV):

• Ankeny Regional Airport (IKV) has 2 runways.
• Because of Ankeny Regional Airport's relatively low elevation of 910 feet, planes can take off or land at Ankeny 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 Ankeny Regional Airport (IKV) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 10,792 miles (17,368 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
• The closest airport to Ankeny Regional Airport (IKV) is Des Moines International Airport (DSM), which is located only 12 miles (19 kilometers) SSW of IKV.

Facts about RAF Fairford (FFD):

• RAF Fairford was the only TransOceanic Abort Landing site for NASA's Space Shuttle in the UK.
• On 14 January 2004, the 420th Air Base Group was established at RAF Fairford to improve the control of its geographically separated units that had been aligned beneath the 100th Air Refueling Wing at RAF Mildenhall.
• Fairford was chosen in 1969 as the British test centre for the Concorde aircraft, which continued until 1977.
• RAF Lyneham's position as the primary tactical transport base for the RAF was emphasised in February 1971 when Nos.
• The closest airport to RAF Fairford (FFD) is RAF Brize Norton (BZZ), which is located only 10 miles (16 kilometers) ENE of 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.
• 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.