Nonstop flight route between Pierre, South Dakota, United States and Fairford, England, United Kingdom:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from PIR to FFD:
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- About this route
- PIR Airport Information
- FFD Airport Information
- Facts about PIR
- Facts about FFD
- Map of Nearest Airports to PIR
- List of Nearest Airports to PIR
- Map of Furthest Airports from PIR
- List of Furthest Airports from PIR
- Map of Nearest Airports to FFD
- List of Nearest Airports to FFD
- Map of Furthest Airports from FFD
- List of Furthest Airports from FFD
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Pierre Regional Airport (PIR), Pierre, South Dakota, United States and RAF Fairford (FFD), Fairford, England, United Kingdom would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,221 miles (or 6,794 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 Pierre 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 Pierre 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:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | PIR / KPIR |
Airport Names: |
|
Location: | Pierre, South Dakota, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 44°22'58"N by 100°17'9"W |
Area Served: | Pierre, South Dakota |
Operator/Owner: | City of Pierre |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 1744 feet (532 meters) |
# of Runways: | 2 |
View all routes: | Routes from PIR |
More Information: | PIR Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | FFD / EGVA |
Airport Name: | RAF Fairford |
Location: | Fairford, England, United Kingdom |
GPS Coordinates: | 51°40'55"N by 1°47'24"W |
Operator/Owner: | Ministry of Defence |
View all routes: | Routes from FFD |
More Information: | FFD Maps & Info |
Facts about Pierre Regional Airport (PIR):
- The closest airport to Pierre Regional Airport (PIR) is Mobridge Municipal Airport (MBG), which is located 81 miles (130 kilometers) N of PIR.
- Pierre Regional Airport (PIR) has 2 runways.
- The furthest airport from Pierre Regional Airport (PIR) is Sir Gaëtan Duval Airport (RRG), which is located 10,493 miles (16,887 kilometers) away in Rodrigues Island, Mauritius.
- Federal Aviation Administration records say the airport had 15,983 passenger boardings in calendar year 2008, 13,692 in 2009 and 14,686 in 2010.
- In addition to being known as "Pierre Regional Airport", another name for PIR is "Pierre Army Airfield".
- Pierre Regional Airport covers 1,735 acres at an elevation of 1,744 feet above mean sea level.
- Until June 30, 2006, service on Great Lakes Airlines to Denver was subsidized by the Essential Air Service program.
Facts about RAF Fairford (FFD):
- In 1950, as a result of the beginning of the Cold War, the airfield was transferred to the U.S.
- 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.
- The closest airport to RAF Fairford (FFD) is RAF Brize Norton (BZZ), which is located only 10 miles (16 kilometers) ENE of FFD.
- Due to RAF Fairford's location and infrastructure, the airfield is designated as a forward operating location for the US Air Force.
- 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 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 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.
- RAF Fairford was the only TransOceanic Abort Landing site for NASA's Space Shuttle in the UK.