Nonstop flight route between Anchorage, Alaska, United States and Block Island, Rhode Island, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Elmendorf Air Force Base (EDF), Anchorage, Alaska, United States and Block Island State Airport (BID), Block Island, Rhode Island, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 3,412 miles (or 5,491 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 Block Island State 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 Block Island State 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 first Air Force unit to be assigned to Alaska, the 18th Pursuit Squadron, arrived in February 1941.
• 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.
• 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.
• Construction on Elmendorf Field began on 8 June 1940, as a major and permanent military airfield near Anchorage.
• In addition to being known as "Elmendorf Air Force Base", another name for EDF is "JB Elmendorf-Richardson".
• 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.
• 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.
• 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 Block Island State Airport (BID):

• As per Federal Aviation Administration records, the airport had 10,384 passenger boardings in calendar year 2008, 8,516 enplanements in 2009, and 9,821 in 2010.
• Block Island State Airport covers an area of 136 acres at an elevation of 108 feet above mean sea level.
• Because of Block Island State Airport's relatively low elevation of 108 feet, planes can take off or land at Block Island State 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 Block Island State Airport (BID) is Montauk Airport (MTP), which is located only 19 miles (30 kilometers) WSW of BID.
• The furthest airport from Block Island State Airport (BID) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,818 miles (19,019 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
• Block Island State Airport (BID) currently has only 1 runway.