Nonstop flight route between Show Low, Arizona, United States and Fairford, England, United Kingdom:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Show Low Regional Airport (SOW), Show Low, Arizona, United States and RAF Fairford (FFD), Fairford, England, United Kingdom would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,088 miles (or 8,189 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 Show Low 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 Show Low 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 Show Low Regional Airport (SOW):

• Because of Show Low Regional Airport's high elevation of 6,415 feet, planes must typically fly at a faster airspeed in order to takeoff or land at SOW. Combined with a high temperature, this could make SOW a "Hot & High" airport, where the air density is lower than it would otherwise be at sea level.
• The furthest airport from Show Low Regional Airport (SOW) is Sir Gaëtan Duval Airport (RRG), which is located 11,355 miles (18,274 kilometers) away in Rodrigues Island, Mauritius.
• As per Federal Aviation Administration records, the airport had 5,325 passenger boardings in calendar year 2008, 4,470 enplanements in 2009, and 3,080 in 2010.
• Show Low Regional Airport (SOW) has 2 runways.
• The closest airport to Show Low Regional Airport (SOW) is Taylor Airport (TYZ), which is located only 14 miles (23 kilometers) NNW of SOW.

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