Nonstop flight route between Coatesville, Pennsylvania, United States and Anchorage, Alaska, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Chester County G. O. Carlson Airport (CTH), Coatesville, Pennsylvania, United States and Elmendorf Air Force Base (EDF), Anchorage, Alaska, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 3,337 miles (or 5,370 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 Chester County G. O. Carlson 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 Chester County G. O. Carlson 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:

Arrival Airport Information:

Facts about Chester County G. O. Carlson Airport (CTH):

• Chester County's airport identifier was 40N but it has recently changed to MQS.
• The airport opened May 1, 1928 as Coatesville Airport and was owned and operated by the City of Coatesville.
• The airport covers 250 acres.
• The closest airport to Chester County G. O. Carlson Airport (CTH) is Brandywine Airport (OQN), which is located only 15 miles (24 kilometers) E of CTH.
• Because of Chester County G. O. Carlson Airport's relatively low elevation of 660 feet, planes can take off or land at Chester County G. O. Carlson 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.
• In addition to being known as "Chester County G. O. Carlson Airport", another name for CTH is "MQS".
• Chester County G. O. Carlson Airport (CTH) currently has only 1 runway.
• The furthest airport from Chester County G. O. Carlson Airport (CTH) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,702 miles (18,833 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.

Facts about Elmendorf Air Force Base (EDF):

• The uncertain world situation in late 1940s and early 1950s caused a major buildup of air defense forces in Alaska.
• In addition to being known as "Elmendorf Air Force Base", another name for EDF is "JB Elmendorf-Richardson".
• 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 late 1950s, 1960s, and early 1970s brought about a gradual, but significant decline in air defense forces in Alaska due to mission changes and the demands of the Vietnam War.
• 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.
• On 12 November 1940, the War Department formally designated what had been popularly referred to as Elmendorf Field as Fort Richardson.
• 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.
• 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.