Nonstop flight route between Anchorage, Alaska, United States and Orchid Island, Taitung County, Taiwan:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Elmendorf Air Force Base (EDF), Anchorage, Alaska, United States and Lanyu Airport (KYD), Orchid Island, Taitung County, Taiwan would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,848 miles (or 7,803 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 Lanyu 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 Lanyu 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):

• 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.
• 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.
• Following World War II, Elmendorf assumed an increasing role in the defense of North America as the uncertain wartime relations between the United States and the Soviet Union deteriorated into the Cold War.
• The closest airport to Elmendorf Air Force Base (EDF) is Merrill Field (MRI), which is located only 3 miles (5 kilometers) SSW of EDF.
• On 12 November 1940, the War Department formally designated what had been popularly referred to as Elmendorf Field as Fort Richardson.
• 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 16 November 2010, a Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor took off for a training mission.
• The Department of Defense proposed a major realignment of the base as part of the Base Realignment and Closure program announced on 13 May 2005.
• In addition to being known as "Elmendorf Air Force Base", another name for EDF is "JB Elmendorf-Richardson".

Facts about Lanyu Airport (KYD):

• Because of Lanyu Airport's relatively low elevation of 44 feet, planes can take off or land at Lanyu 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 "Lanyu Airport", other names for KYD include "蘭嶼航空站蘭嶼機場" and "Lányǔ HángkōngzhànLányǔ Jīchǎng".
• The furthest airport from Lanyu Airport (KYD) is Dr. Luis María Argaña International Airport (ESG), which is nearly antipodal to Lanyu Airport (meaning Lanyu Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Dr. Luis María Argaña International Airport), and is located 12,299 miles (19,794 kilometers) away in Mariscal Estigarribia, Paraguay.
• The closest airport to Lanyu Airport (KYD) is Lyudao Airport (Green Island Airport) (GNI), which is located 45 miles (72 kilometers) N of KYD.
• Lanyu Airport (KYD) currently has only 1 runway.