Nonstop flight route between Albany, Western Australia, Australia and Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Albany Airport (ALH), Albany, Western Australia, Australia and Grand Forks Air Force Base (RDR), Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 10,427 miles (or 16,781 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 Albany Airport and Grand Forks Air Force Base, 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 Albany Airport and Grand Forks Air Force Base. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!

Departure Airport Information:

Arrival Airport Information:

Facts about Albany Airport (ALH):

• Albany Airport handled 56,002 passengers last year.
• Because of Albany Airport's relatively low elevation of 233 feet, planes can take off or land at Albany 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.
• The furthest airport from Albany Airport (ALH) is L.F. Wade International Airport (BDA), which is nearly antipodal to Albany Airport (meaning Albany Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from L.F. Wade International Airport), and is located 12,208 miles (19,647 kilometers) away in Ferry Reach (near Hamilton), Bermuda.
• Albany Airport (ALH) has 2 runways.
• The airport is equipped with an instrument landing system that enables all-weather capability for passenger transport.
• The airport services 18 Virgin Australia flights per week transporting over 50,000 passengers per year.
• In addition to being known as "Albany Airport", another name for ALH is "Harry Riggs Albany Regional Airport".
• Albany Airport was ranked 57th in Australia for the number of revenue passengers served in financial year 2010-2011.
• The closest airport to Albany Airport (ALH) is Katanning Airport (KNI), which is located 86 miles (139 kilometers) N of ALH.

Facts about Grand Forks Air Force Base (RDR):

• Opened 57 years ago in early 1957, the base's current host unit is the 319th Air Base Wing assigned to the Expeditionary Center of the Air Mobility Command.
• In addition to being known as "Grand Forks Air Force Base", another name for RDR is "Grand Forks AFB".
• 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.
• In 1971, the 18th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron was inactivated and the 460th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron replaced the unit.
• On 1 November 1964, 321st Strategic Missile Wing was organized as the Minuteman II intercontinental ballistic missile wing at GFAFB, the first in SAC.
• 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.
• On 18 February 1957, the 478th Fighter Group was activated at Grand Forks.
• 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.
• 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.