Nonstop flight route between Fairford, England, United Kingdom and Carbondale/Murphysboro, Illinois, United States:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from FFD to MDH:
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- About this route
- FFD Airport Information
- MDH Airport Information
- Facts about FFD
- Facts about MDH
- Map of Nearest Airports to FFD
- List of Nearest Airports to FFD
- Map of Furthest Airports from FFD
- List of Furthest Airports from FFD
- Map of Nearest Airports to MDH
- List of Nearest Airports to MDH
- Map of Furthest Airports from MDH
- List of Furthest Airports from MDH
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between RAF Fairford (FFD), Fairford, England, United Kingdom and Southern Illinois Airport (MDH), Carbondale/Murphysboro, Illinois, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,135 miles (or 6,654 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 RAF Fairford and Southern Illinois Airport, 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 RAF Fairford and Southern Illinois Airport. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure 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 |
Arrival Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | MDH / KMDH |
Airport Name: | Southern Illinois Airport |
Location: | Carbondale/Murphysboro, Illinois, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 37°46'41"N by 89°15'6"W |
Area Served: | Carbondale / Murphysboro, Illinois |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 411 feet (125 meters) |
# of Runways: | 3 |
View all routes: | Routes from MDH |
More Information: | MDH Maps & Info |
Facts about RAF Fairford (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.
- 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.
- Due to RAF Fairford's location and infrastructure, the airfield is designated as a forward operating location for the US Air Force.
- Fairford was chosen in 1969 as the British test centre for the Concorde aircraft, which continued until 1977.
- The closest airport to RAF Fairford (FFD) is RAF Brize Norton (BZZ), which is located only 10 miles (16 kilometers) ENE of FFD.
- RAF Fairford was the only TransOceanic Abort Landing site for NASA's Space Shuttle in the UK.
- 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.
Facts about Southern Illinois Airport (MDH):
- The closest airport to Southern Illinois Airport (MDH) is Williamson County Regional Airport (MWA), which is located only 13 miles (21 kilometers) E of MDH.
- Southern Illinois Airport (MDH) has 3 runways.
- Southern Illinois Airport is a public airport in Jackson County, Illinois, United States.
- Southern Illinois Airport is also the home operating base for Southern Illinois University's aviation flight and aviation technologies programs.
- The furthest airport from Southern Illinois Airport (MDH) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,052 miles (17,786 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
- Because of Southern Illinois Airport's relatively low elevation of 411 feet, planes can take off or land at Southern Illinois 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.