Nonstop flight route between Anchorage, Alaska, United States and Aurora, Illinois, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Elmendorf Air Force Base (EDF), Anchorage, Alaska, United States and Chicago/Aurora Municipal Airport (AUZ), Aurora, Illinois, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 2,824 miles (or 4,545 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 Elmendorf Air Force Base and Chicago/Aurora Municipal 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 Elmendorf Air Force Base and Chicago/Aurora Municipal 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 Elmendorf Air Force Base (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.
• That importance was further recognized when the F-15E Strike Eagle equipped 90th Tactical Fighter Squadron was reassigned to Elmendorf Air Force Base from Clark Air Base in the Philippines in May 1991.
• In addition to being known as "Elmendorf Air Force Base", another name for EDF is "JB Elmendorf-Richardson".
• The first Air Force unit to be assigned to Alaska, the 18th Pursuit Squadron, arrived in February 1941.
• Air defense forces reached their zenith in 1957 with almost 200 fighter aircraft assigned to six fighter interceptor squadrons located at Elmendorf AFB and Ladd AFB.
• Elmendorf Air Force Base is a United States military facility in Anchorage, the largest city in Alaska.
• On 28 July 2010, a Boeing C-17 Globemaster III cargo aircraft practicing for an upcoming airshow crashed into a wooded area within the base, killing all four air crew members.
• The closest airport to Elmendorf Air Force Base (EDF) is Merrill Field (MRI), which is located only 3 miles (5 kilometers) SSW of EDF.

Facts about Chicago/Aurora Municipal Airport (AUZ):

• On June 13, 2011, the aircraft Liberty Belle, a B-17 Flying Fortress crashed in Oswego, Illinois after taking off from Aurora.
• Chicago/Aurora Municipal Airport (AUZ) has 3 runways.
• The furthest airport from Chicago/Aurora Municipal Airport (AUZ) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,047 miles (17,778 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
• Because of Chicago/Aurora Municipal Airport's relatively low elevation of 712 feet, planes can take off or land at Chicago/Aurora 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 Chicago/Aurora Municipal Airport (AUZ) is DuPage Airport (DPA), which is located only 15 miles (24 kilometers) NE of AUZ.
• In addition to being known as "Chicago/Aurora Municipal Airport", another name for AUZ is "ARR".