Nonstop flight route between San Antonio, Texas, United States and Fairford, England, United Kingdom:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Stinson Municipal Airport (SSF), San Antonio, Texas, United States and RAF Fairford (FFD), Fairford, England, United Kingdom would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,923 miles (or 7,922 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 Stinson 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 Stinson 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 Stinson Municipal Airport (SSF):

• Because of Stinson Municipal Airport's relatively low elevation of 577 feet, planes can take off or land at Stinson 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.
• The closest airport to Stinson Municipal Airport (SSF) is Lackland Air Force Base Joint Base San Antonio (SKF), which is located only 7 miles (12 kilometers) WNW of SSF.
• The furthest airport from Stinson Municipal Airport (SSF) is Sir Gaëtan Duval Airport (RRG), which is located 11,120 miles (17,895 kilometers) away in Rodrigues Island, Mauritius.
• Stinson Municipal Airport (SSF) has 2 runways.
• In addition to being known as "Stinson Municipal Airport", another name for SSF is "Stinson Field".
• Established in 1915 when the Stinson family initially leased the land from the City of San Antonio, Stinson Municipal Airport is the second oldest general aviation airport in continuous operation in the United States.
• Stinson Municipal Airport covers an area of 360 acres at an elevation of 577 feet above mean sea level.

Facts about RAF Fairford (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.
• KC-135 and KC-10 tankers deployed to Fairford supported Operation El Dorado Canyon against Libya in 1986.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• The closest airport to RAF Fairford (FFD) is RAF Brize Norton (BZZ), which is located only 10 miles (16 kilometers) ENE of FFD.
• 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.
• RAF Fairford is also the home of the Royal International Air Tattoo, an annual air display.