Nonstop flight route between Fort Knox, Kentucky, United States and Lae, Papua New Guinea, Papua New Guinea:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from FTK to LAE:
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- About this route
- FTK Airport Information
- LAE Airport Information
- Facts about FTK
- Facts about LAE
- Map of Nearest Airports to FTK
- List of Nearest Airports to FTK
- Map of Furthest Airports from FTK
- List of Furthest Airports from FTK
- Map of Nearest Airports to LAE
- List of Nearest Airports to LAE
- Map of Furthest Airports from LAE
- List of Furthest Airports from LAE
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Godman Army Airfield (FTK), Fort Knox, Kentucky, United States and Lae Nadzab Airport (LAE), Lae, Papua New Guinea, Papua New Guinea would travel a Great Circle distance of 8,502 miles (or 13,682 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 Godman Army Airfield and Lae Nadzab 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 Godman Army Airfield and Lae Nadzab Airport. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | FTK / KFTK |
Airport Name: | Godman Army Airfield |
Location: | Fort Knox, Kentucky, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 37°54'24"N by 85°58'19"W |
Operator/Owner: | United States Army |
Airport Type: | Military |
Elevation: | 756 feet (230 meters) |
# of Runways: | 4 |
View all routes: | Routes from FTK |
More Information: | FTK Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | LAE / AYNZ |
Airport Name: | Lae Nadzab Airport |
Location: | Lae, Papua New Guinea, Papua New Guinea |
GPS Coordinates: | 6°34'10"S by 146°43'33"E |
Operator/Owner: | Papua New Guinea Office of Civil Aviation |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 239 feet (73 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from LAE |
More Information: | LAE Maps & Info |
Facts about Godman Army Airfield (FTK):
- After the 1953 armistice in Korea, Godman was phased down and the 4430th Air Base Wing became the host organization at the base.
- The next message came from one of the three remaining pilots, who said he was losing his bearings and was becoming fearful of becoming lost.
- Because of Godman Army Airfield's relatively low elevation of 756 feet, planes can take off or land at Godman 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 furthest airport from Godman Army Airfield (FTK) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,229 miles (18,071 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
- After the United States entered World War II, Godman AAF became an First Air Force group training station for B-25 Mitchell medium bomber groups.
- The closest airport to Godman Army Airfield (FTK) is Addington Field (EKX), which is located only 15 miles (25 kilometers) S of FTK.
- The official Air Technical Information Command report on the crash stated that they were of the opinion that Captain Mantell lost consciousness due to oxygen starvation.
- Godman Army Airfield (FTK) has 4 runways.
Facts about Lae Nadzab Airport (LAE):
- The closest airport to Lae Nadzab Airport (LAE) is Bulolo Airport (BUL), which is located 45 miles (72 kilometers) S of LAE.
- The furthest airport from Lae Nadzab Airport (LAE) is Governador Carlos Wilson Airport (FEN), which is located 11,714 miles (18,852 kilometers) away in Fernando de Noronha, Pernambuco, Brazil.
- After Lae was liberated, the United States Army built Nadzab airport and developed it into a massive airbase complex.
- In 1962, the main strip at Nadzab was resealed by the Australian Commonwealth Department of Works and lengthened to make it suitable for Mirage fighters, even though they never materialised.
- Nazdab is located twenty-seven miles NW of Lae by road 900 yds by an indefinite width.
- The first parachute jump for the 503rd Parachute Regiment was during the Allied paratrooper assault on 5 September 1943.
- Because of Lae Nadzab Airport's relatively low elevation of 239 feet, planes can take off or land at Lae Nadzab 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.
- Nadzab is located on the Erap River, 5 kilometres North of the Markham River.
- Lae Nadzab Airport (LAE) currently has only 1 runway.