How long is 517 feet?
The physical scale of 517 feet becomes clearer when it is compared with recognizable things whose dimensions have been published.
517-Foot Distance Comparisons
517 feet is about 1.6 times the height of Elizabeth Tower at Big Ben.
The clock tower commonly called Big Ben stands approximately 316 feet above the Palace of Westminster. The source measurement converts to 316 feet, so the proportional comparison with 517 feet is 1.6 of those measurements.
Source: UK Parliament
Measured against the minimum clear width of an accessible doorway, 517 feet is about 194 times that reference length.
U.S. accessibility standards generally require at least 32 inches of clear passage width when an accessible door is opened. At 2.67 feet, this familiar reference provides a direct scale comparison: the target distance covers 194 of those measurements.
Source: U.S. Access Board
Picture the height of a Falcon 9 rocket: 517 feet is about 2.3 times its measured length.
SpaceX lists the Falcon 9 launch vehicle at 70 metres, or approximately 229.6 feet, tall. Using its published size of 229.67 feet, dividing 517 by that reference gives 2.3 of those measurements.
Source: SpaceX
Picture the height of Hoover Dam: 517 feet is about 71% of its measured length.
Hoover Dam rises 726 feet from its foundation in Black Canyon and holds back the Colorado River to form Lake Mead. Using its published size of 726 feet, dividing 517 by that reference gives 71% of that measurement.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
For scale, 517 feet spans about 5.5 times the length of an NBA basketball court.
An NBA court extends 94 feet from one end line to the other and is 50 feet wide between its sidelines. Its published measurement is 94 feet; the comparison comes from placing that figure against 517 feet.
Source: National Basketball Association
For scale, 517 feet spans about 12.9 times the length of a large Tyrannosaurus rex.
Smithsonian fossil information places a large adult Tyrannosaurus rex at roughly 40 feet from snout to tail. The source measurement converts to 40 feet, so the proportional comparison with 517 feet is 12.9 of those measurements.
For scale, 517 feet spans about 2.5 times the length of USS Constitution.
The U.S. Navy lists the historic USS Constitution at 204 feet in length along its hull. The source measurement converts to 204 feet, so the proportional comparison with 517 feet is 2.5 of those measurements.
Source: United States Navy
517 feet is approximately 157.6 meters.
Using the exact conversion that 1 foot equals exactly 0.3048 meters, the unrounded result is 157.582 meters.
Reference measurements are rounded where appropriate, and naturally variable objects are described as approximate, typical, or maximum sizes.
