Nonstop flight route between Fairbanks / Fort Wainwright, Alaska, United States and Mobile, Alabama, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Ladd Army Airfield (FBK), Fairbanks / Fort Wainwright, Alaska, United States and Mobile Downtown Airport (BFM), Mobile, Alabama, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 3,435 miles (or 5,528 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 Ladd Army Airfield and Mobile Downtown 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 Ladd Army Airfield and Mobile Downtown 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 Ladd Army Airfield (FBK):

• Ice fog became a problem for airplanes landing at the field.
• Ladd Army Airfield (FBK) currently has only 1 runway.
• The closest airport to Ladd Army Airfield (FBK) is Fairbanks International Airport (FAI), which is located only 7 miles (12 kilometers) WSW of FBK.
• Because of Ladd Army Airfield's relatively low elevation of 454 feet, planes can take off or land at Ladd Army Airfield 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.
• Alaska's transportation infrastructure at the time was so limited and the problem of military supply so acute, it also made sense to concentrate the bases along existing supply lines near Anchorage and Fairbanks.
• Reflecting the need to insure aircraft bound for the Soviet Union were prepared for the flight to Galena and Nome, prior to flying across the Bering Straits to Siberia, Ladd AAF the Alaska Air Depot of XI AF Service Command was activated on 8 July 1942.
• The furthest airport from Ladd Army Airfield (FBK) is Port Elizabeth International Airport (PLZ), which is located 10,286 miles (16,554 kilometers) away in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
• In addition to being known as "Ladd Army Airfield", another name for FBK is "(Ladd Air Force Base)".
• By the end of the war, 7,926 aircraft were ferried though Ladd Field.
• From the late 1940s into the 1950s, Ladd AFB served as the northern hub for Air Force activities in Alaska.

Facts about Mobile Downtown Airport (BFM):

• Mobile Downtown Airport (BFM) has 2 runways.
• The closest airport to Mobile Downtown Airport (BFM) is Mobile Regional Airport (MOB), which is located only 11 miles (18 kilometers) WNW of BFM.
• The airport has a control tower and has both a 9,600-by-150-foot runway and a 7,800-by-150-foot runway.
• The furthest airport from Mobile Downtown Airport (BFM) is Cocos (Keeling) Island Airport (CCK), which is located 11,125 miles (17,904 kilometers) away in Cocos Islands, Australia.
• Because of Mobile Downtown Airport's relatively low elevation of 26 feet, planes can take off or land at Mobile Downtown 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.
• Mobile Downtown Airport is a public use airport located three nautical miles south of the central business district of Mobile, a city in Mobile County, Alabama, United States.