Nonstop flight route between Fairbanks / Fort Wainwright, Alaska, United States and Samos Island, Greece:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Ladd Army Airfield (FBK), Fairbanks / Fort Wainwright, Alaska, United States and Samos International Airport "Aristarchos of Samos" (SMI), Samos Island, Greece would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,347 miles (or 8,605 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 Samos International Airport "Aristarchos of Samos", 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 Samos International Airport "Aristarchos of Samos". 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):

• During 1946-1950, personnel from Ladd laid some of the groundwork of the early Cold War with strategic reconnaissance and Arctic research projects.
• 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.
• 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)".
• When the Air Force was made a separate branch in 1947 the name was changed to Ladd Air Force Base.
• The closest airport to Ladd Army Airfield (FBK) is Fairbanks International Airport (FAI), which is located only 7 miles (12 kilometers) WSW of FBK.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.

Facts about Samos International Airport "Aristarchos of Samos" (SMI):

• Because of Samos International Airport "Aristarchos of Samos"'s relatively low elevation of 19 feet, planes can take off or land at Samos International Airport "Aristarchos of Samos" 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 Samos International Airport "Aristarchos of Samos" (SMI) is Ikaria Island National Airport (JIK), which is located 31 miles (50 kilometers) W of SMI.
• On 3 August 1989, Olympic Aviation Flight 545 crashed into Mount Kerkis while on approach to Samos Airport.
• The furthest airport from Samos International Airport "Aristarchos of Samos" (SMI) is Rurutu Airport (RUR), which is located 11,378 miles (18,310 kilometers) away in Rurutu, French Polynesia.
• In addition to being known as "Samos International Airport "Aristarchos of Samos"", another name for SMI is "Κρατικός Αερολιμένας Σάμου "Αρίσταρχος ο Σάμιος»".
• Samos International Airport "Aristarchos of Samos" (SMI) currently has only 1 runway.
• During the late 1990s/early 2000s, the terminal was renovated – the capacity of the airport was increased to deal with increasing passenger numbers and the terminal was renovated.