Nonstop flight route between Fairbanks / Fort Wainwright, Alaska, United States and Zhijiang, Hubei, China:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Ladd Army Airfield (FBK), Fairbanks / Fort Wainwright, Alaska, United States and Zhijiang Airport (HJJ), Zhijiang, Hubei, China would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,869 miles (or 7,836 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 Zhijiang 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 Zhijiang 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):

• The major use of Ladd Field was primarily cold-weather testing of aircraft and equipment.
• Ladd Army Airfield (FBK) currently has only 1 runway.
• In addition to being known as "Ladd Army Airfield", another name for FBK is "(Ladd Air Force Base)".
• Ferrying and Transport Units
• Weather and Testing Units
• 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.
• 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 closest airport to Ladd Army Airfield (FBK) is Fairbanks International Airport (FAI), which is located only 7 miles (12 kilometers) WSW of FBK.
• 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.
• Testing at Ladd Field began again in 1942, but by 1943 aircraft cold-weather testing had become a second priority, as Ladd became the hub for fighters and bombers destined for the "Forgotten 1,000 Mile War" in the Aleutians against the Japanese or on their way to Soviet forces as part of the Lend-Lease program.

Facts about Zhijiang Airport (HJJ):

• Zhijiang Airport (HJJ) currently has only 1 runway.
• Chihkiang Air Base was also the headquarters of the Fourteenth Air Force Chinese-American Composite Wing, whose squadrons flew P-40 Warhawk aircraft.
• The furthest airport from Zhijiang Airport (HJJ) is Chamonate Airfield (CPO), which is nearly antipodal to Zhijiang Airport (meaning Zhijiang Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Chamonate Airfield), and is located 12,425 miles (19,995 kilometers) away in Copiapó, Atacama Region, Chile.
• The closest airport to Zhijiang Airport (HJJ) is Tongren Fenghuang Airport (TEN), which is located 39 miles (62 kilometers) NW of HJJ.
• The Americans closed their facilities at the airport in early October 1945.
• In addition to being known as "Zhijiang Airport", other names for HJJ include "芷江机场", "Zhǐjiāng Jīchǎng" and "ZGCJ".