Nonstop flight route between Sikeston, Missouri, United States and Fairford, England, United Kingdom:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Sikeston Memorial Municipal AirportHarvey Parks Army Airfield (SIK), Sikeston, Missouri, United States and RAF Fairford (FFD), Fairford, England, United Kingdom would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,190 miles (or 6,742 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 Sikeston Memorial Municipal AirportHarvey Parks Army Airfield 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 Sikeston Memorial Municipal AirportHarvey Parks Army Airfield 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 Sikeston Memorial Municipal AirportHarvey Parks Army Airfield (SIK):

• The closest airport to Sikeston Memorial Municipal AirportHarvey Parks Army Airfield (SIK) is Cape Girardeau Regional Airport (CGI), which is located 23 miles (36 kilometers) N of SIK.
• Sikeston Memorial Municipal AirportHarvey Parks Army Airfield (SIK) currently has only 1 runway.
• Inactivated on October 16, 1944 with the drawdown of AAFTC's pilot training program.
• The furthest airport from Sikeston Memorial Municipal AirportHarvey Parks Army Airfield (SIK) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,037 miles (17,762 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
• Since becoming a civil airport, it has become a very popular destination for Army helicopter crews from the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Kentucky.
• Because of Sikeston Memorial Municipal AirportHarvey Parks Army Airfield's relatively low elevation of 315 feet, planes can take off or land at Sikeston Memorial Municipal AirportHarvey Parks Army Airfield 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.
• Opened in April 1940 as Harvey Parks Airport with 6,600 by 5,280 feet open turf field.

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.
• The closest airport to RAF Fairford (FFD) is RAF Brize Norton (BZZ), which is located only 10 miles (16 kilometers) ENE of FFD.
• The 422nd ABG at RAF Croughton and the 420th Air Base Squadron are responsible for the day-to-day operations of RAF Fairford, ensuring that it has adequate resources.
• KC-135 and KC-10 tankers deployed to Fairford supported Operation El Dorado Canyon against Libya in 1986.
• 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.
• 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.
• Fairford was chosen in 1969 as the British test centre for the Concorde aircraft, which continued until 1977.