Nonstop flight route between Molde, Norway and Tonopah, Nevada, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Molde Airport, Årø (MOL), Molde, Norway and Tonopah Test Range Airport (XSD), Tonopah, Nevada, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,836 miles (or 7,782 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 Molde Airport, Årø and Tonopah Test Range Airport, 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 Molde Airport, Årø and Tonopah Test Range Airport. 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 Molde Airport, Årø (MOL):

• In 2005, the airport got permanent international status, and now has a duty-free shop in the departure area.
• The furthest airport from Molde Airport, Årø (MOL) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is located 11,120 miles (17,896 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
• In addition to being known as "Molde Airport, Årø", another name for MOL is "Molde lufthavn, Årø".
• The Norwegian aviation authorities decided to build two airports in Møre og Romsdal county–one serving Ålesund and one serving Kristiansund, but not one in Molde.
• Molde Airport, Årø handled 436,471 passengers last year.
• Molde Airport, Årø (MOL) currently has only 1 runway.
• Because of Molde Airport, Årø's relatively low elevation of 10 feet, planes can take off or land at Molde Airport, Årø 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.
• The closest airport to Molde Airport, Årø (MOL) is Kristiansund Airport, Kvernberget (KSU), which is located 31 miles (50 kilometers) NE of MOL.

Facts about Tonopah Test Range Airport (XSD):

• The closest airport to Tonopah Test Range Airport (XSD) is Tonopah Airport (TPH), which is located 25 miles (40 kilometers) NW of XSD.
• The furthest airport from Tonopah Test Range Airport (XSD) is Pierrefonds Airport (ZSE), which is located 11,207 miles (18,036 kilometers) away in Saint-Pierre, Réunion.
• The Tonopah Range Airport first opened in 1957, supporting operations on the Test Range itself, which was used for United States Atomic Energy Commission ) funded weapon programs.
• The assets of the squadron could not go to the boneyard at Davis-Monthan AFB, and the fate of them remains in some cases, still classified.
• The earliest known depiction of the airfield was on the July 1970 Air Force Tactical Pilotage Chart.
• The F-117 project was highly classified and Tonopah Test Range became a black project facility.
• In 2006, the Constant Peg program was declassified and the USAF held a series of press conferences about the former top secret US MiGs.
• Tonopah is owned by the USAF Air Combat Command.
• What was learned during these projects prompted the US Navy to commence Top Gun exercises first at NAS Miramar, California and then NAS Fallon, Nevada.
• Near the end of the Cold War the program was abandoned and the squadron was disbanded.
• In 1980 the 4477th TEF was re-designated as the 4477th Test and Evaluation Squadron and the operation was renamed again to Constant Peg.