Nonstop flight route between Clarksdale, Mississippi, United States and Fairford, England, United Kingdom:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from CKM to FFD:
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- About this route
- CKM Airport Information
- FFD Airport Information
- Facts about CKM
- Facts about FFD
- Map of Nearest Airports to CKM
- List of Nearest Airports to CKM
- Map of Furthest Airports from CKM
- List of Furthest Airports from CKM
- 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 Fletcher Field (CKM), Clarksdale, Mississippi, United States and RAF Fairford (FFD), Fairford, England, United Kingdom would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,355 miles (or 7,008 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 Fletcher Field 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 Fletcher Field 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: | CKM / KCKM |
Airport Name: | Fletcher Field |
Location: | Clarksdale, Mississippi, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 34°17'58"N by 90°30'43"W |
Area Served: | Clarksdale, Mississippi |
Operator/Owner: | Coahoma County Airport Board |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 173 feet (53 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from CKM |
More Information: | CKM 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 Fletcher Field (CKM):
- Fletcher Field (CKM) currently has only 1 runway.
- Because of Fletcher Field's relatively low elevation of 173 feet, planes can take off or land at Fletcher Field 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.
- Fletcher Field, was opened on July 5, 1942 and used by the United States Army Air Forces as a contract basic flying training airfield.
- The closest airport to Fletcher Field (CKM) is Thompson-Robbins AirportThompson-Robbins Army Airfield (HEE), which is located 21 miles (34 kilometers) NNW of CKM.
- The furthest airport from Fletcher Field (CKM) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 10,975 miles (17,663 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
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.
- 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 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.
- The closest airport to RAF Fairford (FFD) is RAF Brize Norton (BZZ), which is located only 10 miles (16 kilometers) ENE of FFD.
- The runway was completed in 1953, and served as a forward airbase for the first Convair B-36 Peacemaker aircraft from Carswell Air Force Base, Texas.
- 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.
- KC-135 and KC-10 tankers deployed to Fairford supported Operation El Dorado Canyon against Libya in 1986.
- 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.