Nonstop flight route between Lompoc, California, United States and Fairbanks / Fort Wainwright, Alaska, United States:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from VBG to FBK:
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- About this route
- VBG Airport Information
- FBK Airport Information
- Facts about VBG
- Facts about FBK
- Map of Nearest Airports to VBG
- List of Nearest Airports to VBG
- Map of Furthest Airports from VBG
- List of Furthest Airports from VBG
- Map of Nearest Airports to FBK
- List of Nearest Airports to FBK
- Map of Furthest Airports from FBK
- List of Furthest Airports from FBK
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Vandenberg Air Force Base (VBG), Lompoc, California, United States and Ladd Army Airfield (FBK), Fairbanks / Fort Wainwright, Alaska, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 2,364 miles (or 3,805 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 relatively short distance between Vandenberg Air Force Base and Ladd Army Airfield, the route shown on this map most likely still appears to be a straight line.
Departure Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | VBG / KVBG |
Airport Names: |
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Location: | Lompoc, California, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 34°43'57"N by 120°34'5"W |
View all routes: | Routes from VBG |
More Information: | VBG Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | FBK / PAFB |
Airport Names: |
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Location: | Fairbanks / Fort Wainwright, Alaska, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 64°50'15"N by 147°36'51"W |
Area Served: | Fort Wainwright |
Operator/Owner: | United States Army |
Airport Type: | Military: Army Airfield |
Elevation: | 454 feet (138 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from FBK |
More Information: | FBK Maps & Info |
Facts about Vandenberg Air Force Base (VBG):
- Joint Functional Component Command for Space
- Besides the 5th Division, the 6th, 11th, 13th, and 20th Armored Divisions as well as the 86th and 97th Infantry Divisions, and the 2d Filipino Infantry Regiment were all stationed at Cooke at varying times during the war.
- Construction of the Army camp began in September 1941.
- The furthest airport from Vandenberg Air Force Base (VBG) is Pierrefonds Airport (ZSE), which is located 11,479 miles (18,473 kilometers) away in Saint-Pierre, Réunion.
- Vandenberg AFB is a Department of Defense space and missile testing base, with a mission of placing satellites into polar orbit from the West Coast, using expendable boosters.
- The closest airport to Vandenberg Air Force Base (VBG) is Lompoc Airport (LPC), which is located only 7 miles (12 kilometers) SE of VBG.
- 9th Space Operations Squadron
- In addition to being known as "Vandenberg Air Force Base", another name for VBG is "Vandenberg AFB".
- The base is named in honor of former Air Force Chief of Staff General Hoyt S.
Facts about Ladd Army Airfield (FBK):
- Ladd Army Airfield (FBK) currently has only 1 runway.
- In 1948, as Cold War tensions heightened, the Army's 2nd Infantry sent ground defense soldiers to Ladd
- Because of Ladd Army Airfield's relatively low elevation of 454 feet, planes can take off or land at Ladd Army Airfield 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.
- Reflecting the need to insure aircraft bound for the Soviet Union were prepared for the flight to Galena and Nome, prior to flying across the Bering Straits to Siberia, Ladd AAF the Alaska Air Depot of XI AF Service Command was activated on 8 July 1942.
- Testing at Ladd Field began again in 1942, but by 1943 aircraft cold-weather testing had become a second priority, as Ladd became the hub for fighters and bombers destined for the "Forgotten 1,000 Mile War" in the Aleutians against the Japanese or on their way to Soviet forces as part of the Lend-Lease program.
- In addition to being known as "Ladd Army Airfield", another name for FBK is "(Ladd Air Force Base)".
- When the Air Force was made a separate branch in 1947 the name was changed to Ladd Air Force Base.
- The closest airport to Ladd Army Airfield (FBK) is Fairbanks International Airport (FAI), which is located only 7 miles (12 kilometers) WSW of FBK.
- The furthest airport from Ladd Army Airfield (FBK) is Port Elizabeth International Airport (PLZ), which is located 10,286 miles (16,554 kilometers) away in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
- The major use of Ladd Field was primarily cold-weather testing of aircraft and equipment.
- Ferrying and Transport Units