Nonstop flight route between Mount Gambier, Australia and Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Mount Gambier Airport (MGB), Mount Gambier, Australia and Grand Forks Air Force Base (RDR), Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 9,480 miles (or 15,256 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 Mount Gambier 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 Mount Gambier 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 Mount Gambier Airport (MGB):

• Because of Mount Gambier Airport's relatively low elevation of 212 feet, planes can take off or land at Mount Gambier 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.
• O'Connor Airlines, which ceased operations 14 December 2007, was formerly based at the airport.
• The furthest airport from Mount Gambier Airport (MGB) is Flores Airport (FLW), which is located 11,985 miles (19,288 kilometers) away in Flores Island, Azores, Portugal.
• Mount Gambier Airport handled 92,261 passengers last year.
• Mount Gambier Airport was ranked 45th in Australia for the number of revenue passengers served in financial year 2010-2011.
• The closest airport to Mount Gambier Airport (MGB) is Portland Airport (PTJ), which is located 54 miles (88 kilometers) SE of MGB.
• In 2011 it was announced that Mount Gambier Airport would be upgraded under a $3.4 million program.
• In 2009 QantasLink said it was exploring further services into regional South Australia, including flights to Mount Gambier.
• Mount Gambier Airport (MGB) has 3 runways.

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".
• 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.
• 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 18 February 1957, the 478th Fighter Group was activated at Grand Forks.
• On 3 September 1974, the SAFSCOM Site Activation Team was relieved by the U.S.
• 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.
• With the restructuring of the Air Force and the disestablishment of SAC in 1992, the wing transferred to Air Combat Command, then came under Air Force Space Command in 1993.
• In 1971, the 18th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron was inactivated and the 460th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron replaced the unit.