Nonstop flight route between Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States and Mareeba, Queensland, Australia:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from RDR to MRG:
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- About this route
- RDR Airport Information
- MRG Airport Information
- Facts about RDR
- Facts about MRG
- Map of Nearest Airports to RDR
- List of Nearest Airports to RDR
- Map of Furthest Airports from RDR
- List of Furthest Airports from RDR
- Map of Nearest Airports to MRG
- List of Nearest Airports to MRG
- Map of Furthest Airports from MRG
- List of Furthest Airports from MRG
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Grand Forks Air Force Base (RDR), Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States and Mareeba Airfield (MRG), Mareeba, Queensland, Australia would travel a Great Circle distance of 8,339 miles (or 13,420 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 Grand Forks Air Force Base and Mareeba Airfield, 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 Grand Forks Air Force Base and Mareeba Airfield. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | RDR / KRDR |
Airport Names: |
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Location: | Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 47°57'39"N by 97°24'3"W |
View all routes: | Routes from RDR |
More Information: | RDR Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | MRG / YMBA |
Airport Names: |
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Location: | Mareeba, Queensland, Australia |
GPS Coordinates: | 17°4'9"S by 145°25'9"E |
Operator/Owner: | Tablelands Regional Council |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 1560 feet (475 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from MRG |
More Information: | MRG Maps & Info |
Facts about Grand Forks Air Force Base (RDR):
- On 1 September 1958, the Strategic Air Command established the 4133d Strategic Wing at Grand Forks as part of its plan to disperse its B-52 heavy bombers over a larger number of bases, thus making it more difficult for the Soviet Union to knock out the entire fleet with a surprise first strike.
- Due to the continuance of the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union, GFAFB was originally an Air Defense Command fighter-interceptor air base.
- On 26 May 1972, President Nixon and Soviet general secretary Leonid Brezhnev signed the ABM Treaty, which limited each nation to one site to protect strategic forces and one site to protect the "National Command Authority." With work about 85 percent complete at Grand Forks, the United States chose to finish construction at the North Dakota site.
- The furthest airport from Grand Forks Air Force Base (RDR) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 10,504 miles (16,904 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
- During the Cold War, GFAFB was a major installation of the Strategic Air Command, with B-52 bombers, KC-135 tankers, and Minuteman intercontinental ballistic missiles.
- The closest airport to Grand Forks Air Force Base (RDR) is Grand Forks International Airport (GFK), which is located only 10 miles (17 kilometers) E of RDR.
- On 1 February 1993, ACC dropped the 319th Bomb Wing's primary nuclear mission and gave the wing the primary mission of B-1B conventional bombardment operations.
- In addition to being known as "Grand Forks Air Force Base", another name for RDR is "Grand Forks AFB".
Facts about Mareeba Airfield (MRG):
- The furthest airport from Mareeba Airfield (MRG) is Agostinho Neto Airport (NTO), which is located 11,810 miles (19,007 kilometers) away in Ponta do Sol, Santo Antão, Cape Verde.
- A major US Army Air Force Base during World War II, Mareeba housed both heavy bomber and fighter squadrons of that Service in 1942 and 1943.
- The closest airport to Mareeba Airfield (MRG) is Cairns Airport (CNS), which is located 26 miles (41 kilometers) ENE of MRG.
- In addition to being known as "Mareeba Airfield", another name for MRG is "Mareeba Airport".
- Mareeba Airfield is an airfield located 4.3 nautical miles south of Mareeba, Queensland, Australia.
- Mareeba Airfield (MRG) currently has only 1 runway.
- With the departure of the American units, Mareeba was then used by Nos 5 and 100 Squadrons, No 5 Communication Unit and a variety of Royal Australian Air Force support units, with No 24 Operational Base Unit disbanding in early 1946.