Nonstop flight route between Guadalajara, Mexico and Fairbanks / Fort Wainwright, Alaska, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Don Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla International Airport (GDL), Guadalajara, Mexico and Ladd Army Airfield (FBK), Fairbanks / Fort Wainwright, Alaska, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 3,660 miles (or 5,890 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 Don Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla International Airport and Ladd Army Airfield, 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 Don Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla International Airport and Ladd Army Airfield. 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 Don Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla International Airport (GDL):

• In addition to being known as "Don Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla International Airport", another name for GDL is "Aeropuerto Internacional Don Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla".
• Don Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla International Airport (GDL) has 2 runways.
• The furthest airport from Don Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla International Airport (GDL) is Sir Gaëtan Duval Airport (RRG), which is located 11,571 miles (18,621 kilometers) away in Rodrigues Island, Mauritius.
• The closest airport to Don Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla International Airport (GDL) is Licenciado Miguel de la Madrid Airport (CLQ), which is located 88 miles (141 kilometers) SSW of GDL.
• The airport is named for Miguel Hidalgo, who began the war that brought Mexican independence from Spain.
• The airport is being renovated and expanded under a project that will allow it to double its operating capacity by 2007.
• Don Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla International Airport, also known as Guadalajara International Airport.
• Because of Don Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla International Airport's high elevation of 5,016 feet, planes must typically fly at a faster airspeed in order to takeoff or land at GDL. Combined with a high temperature, this could make GDL a "Hot & High" airport, where the air density is lower than it would otherwise be at sea level.
• Guadalajara's International Airport is composed of two runways and two terminals.

Facts about Ladd Army Airfield (FBK):

• Ice fog became a problem for airplanes landing at the field.
• 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.
• From the onset of the Korean War in 1950 and continuing through 1957, Ladd saw intense use.
• 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.
• The major use of Ladd Field was primarily cold-weather testing of aircraft and equipment.
• 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.
• The closest airport to Ladd Army Airfield (FBK) is Fairbanks International Airport (FAI), which is located only 7 miles (12 kilometers) WSW of 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.
• When the Air Force was made a separate branch in 1947 the name was changed to Ladd Air Force Base.