Nonstop flight route between Hualien, Taiwan, Republic of China and Anchorage, Alaska, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Hualien Airport (HUN), Hualien, Taiwan, Republic of China and Elmendorf Air Force Base (EDF), Anchorage, Alaska, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,727 miles (or 7,608 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 Hualien Airport and Elmendorf 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 Hualien Airport and Elmendorf 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 Hualien Airport (HUN):

• In addition to being known as "Hualien Airport", other names for HUN include "花蓮航空站花蓮機場" and "Huālián HángkōngzhànHuālián Jīchǎng".
• Because Hualien City is a popular gateway into Taroko National Park, the airport became too small and outdated for the growing number of tourists.
• The closest airport to Hualien Airport (HUN) is Taichung Airport(Taichung Ching Chuan Kang Airport) (RMQ), which is located 65 miles (105 kilometers) WNW of HUN.
• The furthest airport from Hualien Airport (HUN) is Clorinda Airport (CLX), which is nearly antipodal to Hualien Airport (meaning Hualien Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Clorinda Airport), and is located 12,339 miles (19,858 kilometers) away in Clorinda, Formosa, Argentina.
• Because of Hualien Airport's relatively low elevation of 52 feet, planes can take off or land at Hualien 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.
• Hualien Airport (HUN) currently has only 1 runway.

Facts about Elmendorf Air Force Base (EDF):

• Despite a diminished number of personnel and aircraft, a turning point in Elmendorf's history occurred in 1970 with the arrival of the 43d Tactical Fighter Squadron in June 1970 from MacDill AFB, Florida.
• In addition to being known as "Elmendorf Air Force Base", another name for EDF is "JB Elmendorf-Richardson".
• On 28 July 2010, a Boeing C-17 Globemaster III cargo aircraft practicing for an upcoming airshow crashed into a wooded area within the base, killing all four air crew members.
• The late 1950s, 1960s, and early 1970s brought about a gradual, but significant decline in air defense forces in Alaska due to mission changes and the demands of the Vietnam War.
• The furthest airport from Elmendorf Air Force Base (EDF) is Port Elizabeth International Airport (PLZ), which is located 10,542 miles (16,965 kilometers) away in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
• That importance was further recognized when the F-15E Strike Eagle equipped 90th Tactical Fighter Squadron was reassigned to Elmendorf Air Force Base from Clark Air Base in the Philippines in May 1991.
• The closest airport to Elmendorf Air Force Base (EDF) is Merrill Field (MRI), which is located only 3 miles (5 kilometers) SSW of EDF.