Nonstop flight route between Constanța, Romania and Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Constanţa "Mihail Kogălniceanu" International Airport (CND), Constanța, Romania and Grand Forks Air Force Base (RDR), Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,265 miles (or 8,472 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 Constanţa "Mihail Kogălniceanu" International 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 Constanţa "Mihail Kogălniceanu" International 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 Constanţa "Mihail Kogălniceanu" International Airport (CND):

• As of October 2009 the US has spent $48 million upgrading the base.
• Constanţa "Mihail Kogălniceanu" International Airport (CND) currently has only 1 runway.
• Because of Constanţa "Mihail Kogălniceanu" International Airport's relatively low elevation of 353 feet, planes can take off or land at Constanţa "Mihail Kogălniceanu" International 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.
• Use of the airport peaked at 778,766 passengers in 1979, when tourism to the Romanian Riviera was at a high.
• In addition to being known as "Constanţa "Mihail Kogălniceanu" International Airport", another name for CND is "Aeroportul Internaţional Constanţa Mihail Kogălniceanu".
• The airport was home of the former Romanian Air Force 57th Air Base, which was the only unit operating the Mikoyan MiG-29 fighter aircraft.
• The closest airport to Constanţa "Mihail Kogălniceanu" International Airport (CND) is Varna Airport Aksakovo (VAR), which is located 85 miles (136 kilometers) SSW of CND.
• According to Eurocontrol data, it has been the site of four landings and two stopovers by aircraft identified as probably belonging to the CIA's fleet of rendition planes, including at least one widely used executive jet N379P.
• The furthest airport from Constanţa "Mihail Kogălniceanu" International Airport (CND) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is located 11,203 miles (18,029 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
• Constanţa "Mihail Kogălniceanu" International Airport handled 73,301 passengers last year.

Facts about Grand Forks Air Force Base (RDR):

• 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.
• In addition to being known as "Grand Forks Air Force Base", another name for RDR is "Grand Forks AFB".
• On 18 February 1957, the 478th Fighter Group was activated at Grand Forks.
• 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 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.
• On 1 November 1964, 321st Strategic Missile Wing was organized as the Minuteman II intercontinental ballistic missile wing at GFAFB, the first in SAC.
• 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.
• Grand Forks Air Force Base is a United States Air Force installation in northeastern North Dakota, located north of Emerado and 16 miles west of Grand Forks.
• The DC-11 SAGE blockhouse was later the headquarters of the SAC 321st Strategic Missile Wing.