Nonstop flight route between Anchorage, Alaska, United States and Topeka, Kansas, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Elmendorf Air Force Base (EDF), Anchorage, Alaska, United States and Philip Billard Municipal Airport (TOP), Topeka, Kansas, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 2,733 miles (or 4,398 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 Philip Billard 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 Philip Billard 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 closest airport to Elmendorf Air Force Base (EDF) is Merrill Field (MRI), which is located only 3 miles (5 kilometers) SSW of EDF.
• In addition to being known as "Elmendorf Air Force Base", another name for EDF is "JB Elmendorf-Richardson".
• The uncertain world situation in late 1940s and early 1950s caused a major buildup of air defense forces in Alaska.
• 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.
• 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 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.
• On 12 November 1940, the War Department formally designated what had been popularly referred to as Elmendorf Field as Fort Richardson.
• The adjacent facilities were officially combined by the 2005 Base Closure and Realignment Commission.
• Construction on Elmendorf Field began on 8 June 1940, as a major and permanent military airfield near Anchorage.

Facts about Philip Billard Municipal Airport (TOP):

• The closest airport to Philip Billard Municipal Airport (TOP) is Lawrence Municipal Airport (LWC), which is located 22 miles (36 kilometers) E of TOP.
• Philip Billard Municipal Airport is a public airport three miles northeast of downtown Topeka, the capital city of Kansas and the county seat of Shawnee County.
• Philip Billard Municipal Airport (TOP) has 3 runways.
• Because of Philip Billard Municipal Airport's relatively low elevation of 881 feet, planes can take off or land at Philip Billard 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 furthest airport from Philip Billard Municipal Airport (TOP) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 10,703 miles (17,224 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.