Nonstop flight route between Fairbanks / Fort Wainwright, Alaska, United States and Spearfish, South Dakota, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Ladd Army Airfield (FBK), Fairbanks / Fort Wainwright, Alaska, United States and Black Hills Airport (SPF), Spearfish, South Dakota, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 2,174 miles (or 3,498 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 relatively short distance between Ladd Army Airfield and Black Hills Airport, the route shown on this map most likely still appears to be a straight line.

Departure Airport Information:

Arrival Airport Information:

Facts about Ladd Army Airfield (FBK):

• In addition to being known as "Ladd Army Airfield", another name for FBK is "(Ladd Air Force Base)".
• Ladd Army Airfield (FBK) currently has only 1 runway.
• 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.
• During 1946-1950, personnel from Ladd laid some of the groundwork of the early Cold War with strategic reconnaissance and Arctic research projects.
• When the Air Force was made a separate branch in 1947 the name was changed to Ladd Air Force Base.
• Ladd Army Airfield is the military airfield located at Fort Jonathan Wainwright, located in Fairbanks, Alaska.
• 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.
• The major use of Ladd Field was primarily cold-weather testing of aircraft and equipment.
• 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.
• The closest airport to Ladd Army Airfield (FBK) is Fairbanks International Airport (FAI), which is located only 7 miles (12 kilometers) WSW of FBK.
• From the late 1940s into the 1950s, Ladd AFB served as the northern hub for Air Force activities in Alaska.
• 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.

Facts about Black Hills Airport (SPF):

• Black Hills Airport (SPF) has 4 runways.
• In addition to being known as "Black Hills Airport", another name for SPF is "Clyde Ice Field".
• The closest airport to Black Hills Airport (SPF) is Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA), which is located 42 miles (67 kilometers) ESE of SPF.
• The furthest airport from Black Hills Airport (SPF) is Sir Gaëtan Duval Airport (RRG), which is located 10,576 miles (17,020 kilometers) away in Rodrigues Island, Mauritius.