Nonstop flight route between Crookston, Minnesota, United States and Lajes, Azores, Portugal:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Crookston Municipal Airport (CKN), Crookston, Minnesota, United States and Lajes Air Base (TER), Lajes, Azores, Portugal would travel a Great Circle distance of 3,432 miles (or 5,524 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 Crookston Municipal Airport and Lajes Air 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 Crookston Municipal Airport and Lajes Air 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 Crookston Municipal Airport (CKN):

• The furthest airport from Crookston Municipal Airport (CKN) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 10,541 miles (16,964 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
• Crookston Municipal Airport covers an area of 633 acres at an elevation of 899 feet above mean sea level.
• Because of Crookston Municipal Airport's relatively low elevation of 899 feet, planes can take off or land at Crookston Municipal 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 closest airport to Crookston Municipal Airport (CKN) is Thief River Falls Regional Airport (TVF), which is located 25 miles (41 kilometers) NE of CKN.
• In addition to being known as "Crookston Municipal Airport", another name for CKN is "Kirkwood Field".
• Crookston Municipal Airport (CKN) has 3 runways.

Facts about Lajes Air Base (TER):

• Another important Cold War operation at Lajes was the U.S.
• Lajes Air Base (TER) currently has only 1 runway.
• In the summer of 1984, Lajes undertook a new mission known as "SILK PURSE." Boeing EC-135s began operating out of Lajes Field as an airborne command post for the U.S.
• Lajes provides support to 15,000 aircraft, including fighters from the US and 20 other allied nations each.
• The closest airport to Lajes Air Base (TER) is Graciosa Airport (GRW), which is located 55 miles (89 kilometers) WNW of TER.
• Lajes Field also played a crucial role in Cold War politics.
• In addition to being known as "Lajes Air Base", other names for TER include "Base Aérea das Lajes", "Base Aérea Nº 4" and "Aeroporto das Lajes".
• The furthest airport from Lajes Air Base (TER) is Merimbula Airport (MIM), which is nearly antipodal to Lajes Air Base (meaning Lajes Air Base is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Merimbula Airport), and is located 12,229 miles (19,680 kilometers) away in Merimbula, New South Wales, Australia.
• Because of Lajes Air Base's relatively low elevation of 180 feet, planes can take off or land at Lajes Air Base 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 United States and the United Kingdom transferred control of Lajes to Portugal in 1946.