Nonstop flight route between Bluefield, West Virginia, United States and Anchorage, Alaska, United States:
Departure Airport:
(37°17'44"N by 81°12'28"W)
Arrival Airport:
(61°15'5"N by 149°48'23"W)
Distance from BLF to EDF:
3,307.26 miles (5,322.50 km)
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Jump to:
- About this route
- BLF Airport Information
- EDF Airport Information
- Facts about BLF
- Facts about EDF
- Map of Nearest Airports to BLF
- List of Nearest Airports to BLF
- Map of Furthest Airports from BLF
- List of Furthest Airports from BLF
- Map of Nearest Airports to EDF
- List of Nearest Airports to EDF
- Map of Furthest Airports from EDF
- List of Furthest Airports from EDF
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Mercer County Airport (BLF), Bluefield, West Virginia, United States and Elmendorf Air Force Base (EDF), Anchorage, Alaska, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 3,307 miles (or 5,323 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 Mercer County Airport and Elmendorf 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 Mercer County Airport and Elmendorf Air Force Base. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure Airport Information:
| IATA / ICAO Codes: | BLF / KBLF |
| Airport Name: | Mercer County Airport |
| Location: | Bluefield, West Virginia, United States |
| GPS Coordinates: | 37°17'44"N by 81°12'28"W |
| Area Served: | Bluefield / Princeton, West Virginia |
| Operator/Owner: | Mercer County Airport Authority |
| Airport Type: | Public |
| Elevation: | 2857 feet (871 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 1 |
| View all routes: | Routes from BLF |
| More Information: | BLF Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
| IATA / ICAO Codes: | EDF / PAED |
| Airport Names: |
|
| Location: | Anchorage, Alaska, United States |
| GPS Coordinates: | 61°15'5"N by 149°48'23"W |
| View all routes: | Routes from EDF |
| More Information: | EDF Maps & Info |
Facts about Mercer County Airport (BLF):
- The closest airport to Mercer County Airport (BLF) is New River Valley Airport (PSK), which is located 31 miles (50 kilometers) ESE of BLF.
- The furthest airport from Mercer County Airport (BLF) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,493 miles (18,496 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
- Mercer County Airport (BLF) currently has only 1 runway.
- The airport has been served by commercial airlines in the past.
Facts about Elmendorf Air Force Base (EDF):
- The closest airport to Elmendorf Air Force Base (EDF) is Merrill Field (MRI), which is located only 3 miles (5 kilometers) SSW of EDF.
- The furthest airport from Elmendorf Air Force Base (EDF) is Port Elizabeth International Airport (PLZ), which is located 10,542 miles (16,965 kilometers) away in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
- The Elmendorf AFB is a site of one of the now decommissioned FLR-9 Wullenweber-class antennas, a node of the now obsolete High Frequency SIGINT direction finding system.
- The first Air Force unit to be assigned to Alaska, the 18th Pursuit Squadron, arrived in February 1941.
- Despite a diminished number of personnel and aircraft, a turning point in Elmendorf's history occurred in 1970 with the arrival of the 43d Tactical Fighter Squadron in June 1970 from MacDill AFB, Florida.
- On 16 November 2010, a Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor took off for a training mission.
- In addition to being known as "Elmendorf Air Force Base", another name for EDF is "JB Elmendorf-Richardson".
| Rank | Distance & Direction | Airport Name & IATA Code | Airport Location | Further Actions |
| 1 | 31.11 miles (50.07 km) ESE | New River Valley Airport (PSK) | Dublin, Virginia, United States |     |
| 2 | 34.26 miles (55.13 km) N | Raleigh County Memorial Airport (BKW) | Beckley, West Virginia, United States | |
| 3 | 44.42 miles (71.48 km) E | Virginia Tech Montgomery Executive Airport (BCB) | Blacksburg, Virginia, United States | |
| 4 | 58.90 miles (94.80 km) NE | Greenbrier Valley Airport (LWB) | Lewisburg, West Virginia, United States | |
| 5 | 61.99 miles (99.76 km) SW | Virginia Highlands Airport (VJI) | Abingdon, Virginia, United States | |
| 6 | 67.75 miles (109.03 km) E | Roanoke–Blacksburg Regional Airport (ROA) | Roanoke, Virginia, United States | |
| 7 | 74.39 miles (119.72 km) S | Wilkes County Airport (IKB) | North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, United States | |
| 8 | 75.88 miles (122.11 km) WSW | Lonesome Pine Airport (LNP) | Wise, Virginia, United States | |
| 9 | 77.53 miles (124.77 km) NNW | Yeager Airport (CRW) | Charleston, West Virginia, United States | |
| 10 | 87.23 miles (140.39 km) SW | Tri-Cities Regional Airport (TRI) | Blountville, Tennessee (Tri-Cities area), United States | |
| 11 | 97.11 miles (156.28 km) SE | Smith Reynolds Airport (INT) | Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States | |
| 12 | 104.38 miles (167.99 km) SSW | Foothills Regional Airport (MRN) | Morganton, North Carolina, United States | |
| 13 | 104.45 miles (168.10 km) NW | Tri-State Airport (HTS) | Huntington, West Virginia, United States | |
| 14 | 104.64 miles (168.41 km) NW | Lawrence County Airpark (HTW) | Chesapeake, Ohio / Huntington, West Virginia, United States | |
| 15 | 107.89 miles (173.64 km) S | Hickory Regional Airport (HKY) | Hickory, North Carolina, United States | |
| Rank | Distance & Direction | Airport Name & IATA Code | Airport Location | Further Actions |
| 1 | 11,493.06 miles (18,496.25 km) W | Margaret River Airport (MGV) | Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia | |
| 2 | 11,471.25 miles (18,461.14 km) W | Busselton Regional Airport (BQB) | Busselton, Western Australia, Australia | |
| 3 | 11,448.92 miles (18,425.21 km) W | Bunbury Airport (BUY) | Bunbury, Western Australia, Australia | |
| 4 | 11,443.63 miles (18,416.70 km) W | Manjimup Airport (MJP) | Manjimup, Western Australia, Australia | |
| 5 | 11,418.96 miles (18,376.99 km) WSW | Rottnest Airport (RTS) | Rottnest Island, Western Australia, Australia | |
| 6 | 11,403.58 miles (18,352.24 km) WSW | Jandakot Airport (JAD) | Jandakot, Western Australia, Australia | |
| 7 | 11,394.39 miles (18,337.45 km) WSW | Perth Airport (PER) | Perth, Western Australia, Australia | |
| 8 | 11,387.55 miles (18,326.44 km) WSW | Jurien Bay Airport (JUR) | Jurien Bay, Western Australia, Australia | |
| 9 | 11,364.93 miles (18,290.03 km) W | Albany Airport (ALH) | Albany, Western Australia, Australia | |
| 10 | 11,349.04 miles (18,264.47 km) W | Katanning Airport (KNI) | Katanning, Western Australia, Australia | |
| 11 | 11,346.23 miles (18,259.94 km) WSW | Geraldton Airport (GET) | Geraldton, Western Australia, Australia | |
| 12 | 11,320.00 miles (18,217.74 km) WSW | Kalbarri Airport (KAX) | Kalbarri, Western Australia, Australia | |
| 13 | 11,297.53 miles (18,181.57 km) WSW | Morawa Airport (MWB) | Morawa, Western Australia, Australia | |
| 14 | 11,293.50 miles (18,175.09 km) WSW | Mullewa Airport (MXU) | Mullewa, Western Australia, Australia | |
| 15 | 11,265.80 miles (18,130.50 km) SW | Shark Bay Airport (MJK) | Monkey Mia, Western Australia, Australia | |
| Rank | Distance & Direction | Airport Name & IATA Code | Airport Location | Further Actions |
| 1 | 2.90 miles (4.67 km) SSW | Merrill Field (MRI) | Anchorage, Alaska, United States | |
| 2 | 5.10 miles (8.20 km) E | Bryant Army Airfield (FRN) | Fort Richardson, Anchorage, Alaska, United States | |
| 3 | 8.32 miles (13.39 km) SW | Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (ANC) | Anchorage, Alaska, United States | |
| 4 | 19.67 miles (31.66 km) N | Big Lake Airport (BGQ) | Big Lake, Alaska, United States | |
| 5 | 23.84 miles (38.37 km) NNE | Wasilla Airport (WWA) | Wasilla, Alaska, United States | |
| 6 | 33.56 miles (54.01 km) NE | Palmer Municipal Airport (PAQ) | Palmer, Alaska, United States | |
| 7 | 35.67 miles (57.40 km) NNW | Willow Airport (WOW) | Willow, Alaska, United States | |
| 8 | 41.57 miles (66.91 km) W | Beluga Airport (BVU) | Beluga, Alaska, United States | |
| 9 | 45.99 miles (74.01 km) WSW | Tyonek Airport (TYE) | Tyonek, Alaska, United States | |
| 10 | 67.10 miles (107.99 km) NW | Skwentna Airport (SKW) | Skwentna, Alaska, United States | |
| 11 | 67.29 miles (108.30 km) SW | Kenai Municipal Airport (ENA) | Kenai, Alaska, United States | |
| 12 | 67.79 miles (109.09 km) SW | Soldotna Airport (SXQ) | Soldotna, Alaska, United States | |
| 13 | 74.47 miles (119.84 km) N | Talkeetna Airport (TKA) | Talkeetna, Alaska, United States | |
| 14 | 78.79 miles (126.80 km) S | Seward Airport (SWD) | Seward, Alaska, United States | |
| 15 | 101.75 miles (163.75 km) SE | Chenega Bay Airport (NCN) | Chenega, Alaska, United States | |
| Rank | Distance & Direction | Airport Name & IATA Code | Airport Location | Further Actions |
| 1 | 10,541.86 miles (16,965.44 km) S | Port Elizabeth International Airport (PLZ) | Port Elizabeth, South Africa | |
| 2 | 10,522.61 miles (16,934.46 km) SSE | George Airport (GRJ) | George, South Africa | |
| 3 | 10,517.40 miles (16,926.08 km) S | Port Alfred Airport (AFD) | Port Alfred, South Africa | |
| 4 | 10,484.34 miles (16,872.87 km) S | East London Airport (ELS) | East London, South Africa | |
| 5 | 10,482.65 miles (16,870.14 km) SSE | Cape Town International Airport (CPT) | Cape Town, South Africa | |
| 6 | 10,383.23 miles (16,710.15 km) S | Mthatha Airport (UTT) | Mthatha, South Africa | |
| 7 | 10,336.91 miles (16,635.60 km) S | Margate Airport (MGH) | Margate, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa | |
| 8 | 10,268.85 miles (16,526.07 km) S | Lebakeng Airport (LEF) | Lebakeng, Lesotho | |
| 9 | 10,264.17 miles (16,518.54 km) S | Semonkong Airport (SOK) | Semonkong, Lesotho | |
| 10 | 10,259.58 miles (16,511.15 km) S | Mafeteng Airport (MFC) | Mafeteng, Lesotho | |
| 11 | 10,259.02 miles (16,510.25 km) S | Lesobeng Airport (LES) | Lesobeng, Lesotho | |
| 12 | 10,253.10 miles (16,500.73 km) S | Pietermaritzburg Airport (PZB) | Pietermaritzburg, South Africa | |
| 13 | 10,250.65 miles (16,496.78 km) S | King Shaka International (DUR) | Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa | |
| 14 | 10,237.04 miles (16,474.88 km) S | Moshoeshoe I International Airport (MSU) | Maseru, Lesotho | |
| 15 | 10,227.30 miles (16,459.21 km) S | Mokhotlong Airport (MKH) | Mokhotlong, Lesotho | |