Nonstop flight route between Diomede, Alaska, United States and Muang Xay, Laos:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Diomede Heliport (FAA: DM2) (DIO), Diomede, Alaska, United States and Oudomsay Airport (ODY), Muang Xay, Laos would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,894 miles (or 7,876 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 Diomede Heliport (FAA: DM2) and Oudomsay Airport, 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 Diomede Heliport (FAA: DM2) and Oudomsay Airport. 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 Diomede Heliport (FAA: DM2) (DIO):

• Because of Diomede Heliport (FAA: DM2)'s relatively low elevation of 0 feet, planes can take off or land at Diomede Heliport (FAA: DM2) 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 Diomede Heliport (FAA: DM2) (DIO) is Wales Airport (WAA), which is located 26 miles (42 kilometers) ESE of DIO.
• According to traveler John Muir, on his visit to Diomede Islands in 1880s they found the natives eager to trade away everything they had.
• The Little Diomede island is composed of Cretaceous age granite or quartz monzonite.
• At the beginning of the Cold War in the late 1940s Big Diomede became a Russian military base and all its native residents were removed to mainland Russia.
• Frozen ground and lack of soil on the rocky island also prevents digging graves, but rocks are piled on top of the burial sites instead.
• The furthest airport from Diomede Heliport (FAA: DM2) (DIO) is Teniente Rodolfo Marsh Airport (TNM), which is located 10,411 miles (16,755 kilometers) away in Villa Las Estrellas, Antarctica.
• The United States purchased Alaska from Russia in 1867 which included the Little Diomede.
• The first square building in the island was a small Catholic church, which was planned by Father Bellarmine Lafortune in 1935 and built by Father Thomas Cunningham during his residency in the island between 1936 and 1947.

Facts about Oudomsay Airport (ODY):

• In addition to being known as "Oudomsay Airport", another name for ODY is "VL0S".
• The furthest airport from Oudomsay Airport (ODY) is Maria Reiche Neuman Airport (NZC), which is located 11,987 miles (19,291 kilometers) away in Nazca, Ica Region, Peru.
• The closest airport to Oudomsay Airport (ODY) is Louangnamtha Airport (LXG), which is located 43 miles (69 kilometers) WNW of ODY.
• Because of Oudomsay Airport's relatively low elevation of 509 feet, planes can take off or land at Oudomsay 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.