Nonstop flight route between Iquique, Chile and Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Diego Aracena International Airport (IQQ), Iquique, Chile and Grand Forks Air Force Base (RDR), Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,024 miles (or 8,086 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 Diego Aracena International 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 Diego Aracena International 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 Diego Aracena International Airport (IQQ):

• Diego Aracena International Airport (IQQ) currently has only 1 runway.
• The closest airport to Diego Aracena International Airport (IQQ) is Carolina Airport (CLN), which is located 150 miles (241 kilometers) S of IQQ.
• In addition to being known as "Diego Aracena International Airport", another name for IQQ is "Aeropuerto Internacional Diego Aracena".
• The furthest airport from Diego Aracena International Airport (IQQ) is Zhanjiang Airport (ZHA), which is nearly antipodal to Diego Aracena International Airport (meaning Diego Aracena International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Zhanjiang Airport), and is located 12,378 miles (19,921 kilometers) away in Zhanjiang, Guangdong, China.
• Because of Diego Aracena International Airport's relatively low elevation of 154 feet, planes can take off or land at Diego Aracena International 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):

• In addition to being known as "Grand Forks Air Force Base", another name for RDR is "Grand Forks AFB".
• 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.
• On 26 May 1972, President Nixon and Soviet general secretary Leonid Brezhnev signed the ABM Treaty, which limited each nation to one site to protect strategic forces and one site to protect the "National Command Authority." With work about 85 percent complete at Grand Forks, the United States chose to finish construction at the North Dakota site.
• 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.
• Grand Forks Air Force Base was established on 1 December 1955, with construction beginning in the fall of that year.
• Survey teams selected sites in flat wheatlands close to the Canada-Minnesota border, north-northwest of Grand Forks.
• During 1965, the wing’s three missile squadrons were activated and crew training and certification began at Vandenberg AFB in southern California.
• 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.