Nonstop flight route between Natal, Brazil and Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Augusto Severo International Airport (NAT), Natal, Brazil and Grand Forks Air Force Base (RDR), Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,281 miles (or 8,498 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 Augusto Severo 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 Augusto Severo 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 Augusto Severo International Airport (NAT):

• Augusto Severo International Airport handled 2,408,206 passengers last year.
• Due to the fact that the capacity of the airport does not meet the present demand of passengers, the brand-new Greater Natal International Airport was built at São Gonçalo do Amarante.
• Augusto Severo International Airport (NAT) has 3 runways.
• On March 31, 1980, the Ministry of Aeronautics transferred to Infraero the task of managing the airport.
• The furthest airport from Augusto Severo International Airport (NAT) is Falalop Airfield (ULI), which is located 11,994 miles (19,303 kilometers) away in Falalop Island, Yap, Federated States of Micronesia.
• In addition to being known as "Augusto Severo International Airport", another name for NAT is "Aeroporto Internacional Augusto Severo".
• The closest airport to Augusto Severo International Airport (NAT) is Presidente Castro Pinto International Airport (JPA), which is located 88 miles (142 kilometers) SSE of NAT.
• Because of Augusto Severo International Airport's relatively low elevation of 167 feet, planes can take off or land at Augusto Severo 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):

• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• In addition to being known as "Grand Forks Air Force Base", another name for RDR is "Grand Forks AFB".
• In October 1977, the PAR came under operational control of the USAF, which operated it thereafter as part of its early warning system.
• 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.
• Due to the continuance of the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union, GFAFB was originally an Air Defense Command fighter-interceptor air base.