Nonstop flight route between Gunungsitoli, Nias Island, Indonesia and Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Binaka Airport (GNS), Gunungsitoli, Nias Island, Indonesia and Grand Forks Air Force Base (RDR), Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 8,923 miles (or 14,360 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 Binaka Airport and Grand Forks Air Force Base, 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 Binaka Airport and Grand Forks Air Force Base. 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 Binaka Airport (GNS):

• Binaka Airport (GNS) currently has only 1 runway.
• The closest airport to Binaka Airport (GNS) is Aek Godang Airport (AEG), which is located 120 miles (194 kilometers) E of GNS.
• In addition to being known as "Binaka Airport", another name for GNS is "Bandar Udara Binaka".
• The furthest airport from Binaka Airport (GNS) is Eloy Alfaro International Airport (MEC), which is nearly antipodal to Binaka Airport (meaning Binaka Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Eloy Alfaro International Airport), and is located 12,324 miles (19,834 kilometers) away in Manta, Manabí, Ecuador.
• Because of Binaka Airport's relatively low elevation of 20 feet, planes can take off or land at Binaka 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.

Facts about Grand Forks Air Force Base (RDR):

• On 1 November 1964, 321st Strategic Missile Wing was organized as the Minuteman II intercontinental ballistic missile wing at GFAFB, the first in SAC.
• On 18 February 1957, the 478th Fighter Group was activated at Grand Forks.
• In addition to being known as "Grand Forks Air Force Base", another name for RDR is "Grand Forks AFB".
• On 1 September 1958, the Strategic Air Command established the 4133d Strategic Wing at Grand Forks as part of its plan to disperse its B-52 heavy bombers over a larger number of bases, thus making it more difficult for the Soviet Union to knock out the entire fleet with a surprise first strike.
• On 3 November 1967, the Department of Defense revealed that GFAFB was one of 10 initial locations to host a Sentinel Anti-Ballistic Missile site.
• The closest airport to Grand Forks Air Force Base (RDR) is Grand Forks International Airport (GFK), which is located only 10 miles (17 kilometers) E of RDR.
• During the Cold War, GFAFB was a major installation of the Strategic Air Command, with B-52 bombers, KC-135 tankers, and Minuteman intercontinental ballistic missiles.
• The furthest airport from Grand Forks Air Force Base (RDR) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 10,504 miles (16,904 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.