Nonstop flight route between Ofu, American Samoa and Fairbanks, Alaska, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Ofu Airport (OFU), Ofu, American Samoa and Eielson Air Force Base (EIL), Fairbanks, Alaska, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,576 miles (or 8,973 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 Ofu Airport and Eielson 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 Ofu Airport and Eielson 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 Ofu Airport (OFU):

• Ofu Airport (OFU) currently has only 1 runway.
• Because of Ofu Airport's relatively low elevation of 9 feet, planes can take off or land at Ofu 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.
• In addition to being known as "Ofu Airport", other names for OFU include "NSAS" and "Z08".
• The closest airport to Ofu Airport (OFU) is Tau Airport (TAV), which is located only 11 miles (18 kilometers) ESE of OFU.
• The furthest airport from Ofu Airport (OFU) is Zinder Airport (ZND), which is nearly antipodal to Ofu Airport (meaning Ofu Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Zinder Airport), and is located 12,342 miles (19,863 kilometers) away in Zinder, Niger.

Facts about Eielson Air Force Base (EIL):

• In addition to being known as "Eielson Air Force Base", another name for EIL is "Eielson AFB".
• Today the 1st Brigade 25th Infantry Division and the 4th Brigade 25th Infantry Division can be found training there.
• Headquarters USAF General Order 2, dated 13 January 1948, redesignated Mile 26 as Eielson AFB.
• A year later, however, Eielson moved from under the shadow of Ladd Field when the Alaskan Air Command assumed organizational control.
• A month later, contractors and civilian crews from Ladd Field started laying out the new airfield.
• The closest airport to Eielson Air Force Base (EIL) is Ladd Army Airfield (FBK), which is located only 19 miles (31 kilometers) NW of EIL.
• The furthest airport from Eielson Air Force Base (EIL) is Port Elizabeth International Airport (PLZ), which is located 10,295 miles (16,568 kilometers) away in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
• A new chapter for the base began 1 October 1981 when the 343d Composite Wing replaced the 5010th as Eielson's host unit.