Nonstop flight route between Piarco (near Port of Spain), Trinidad and Tobago and Anchorage, Alaska, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Piarco International Airport (POS), Piarco (near Port of Spain), Trinidad and Tobago and Elmendorf Air Force Base (EDF), Anchorage, Alaska, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,527 miles (or 8,894 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 Piarco International Airport and Elmendorf 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 Piarco International Airport and Elmendorf 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 Piarco International Airport (POS):

• The closest airport to Piarco International Airport (POS) is A.N.R. Robinson International Airport (TAB), which is located 51 miles (83 kilometers) NE of POS.
• In addition to being known as "Piarco International Airport", another name for POS is "78970[1][2]".
• Piarco International Airport (POS) currently has only 1 runway.
• Because of Piarco International Airport's relatively low elevation of 58 feet, planes can take off or land at Piarco 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.
• Piarco Airport opened on 8 January 1931, to serve Venezuela's Compagnie Generale Aeropostale.
• The Air Guard of Trinidad and Tobago is based at Piarco International Airport.
• The furthest airport from Piarco International Airport (POS) is Umbu Mehang Kunda Airport (WGP), which is nearly antipodal to Piarco International Airport (meaning Piarco International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Umbu Mehang Kunda Airport), and is located 12,308 miles (19,808 kilometers) away in Waingapu, Sumba, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia.
• A major expansion of the airport, which included the construction of a new terminal building, and high-speed taxiways, was completed in 2001.

Facts about Elmendorf Air Force Base (EDF):

• The Elmendorf AFB is a site of one of the now decommissioned FLR-9 Wullenweber-class antennas, a node of the now obsolete High Frequency SIGINT direction finding system.
• Construction on Elmendorf Field began on 8 June 1940, as a major and permanent military airfield near Anchorage.
• The Department of Defense proposed a major realignment of the base as part of the Base Realignment and Closure program announced on 13 May 2005.
• In addition to being known as "Elmendorf Air Force Base", another name for EDF is "JB Elmendorf-Richardson".
• The uncertain world situation in late 1940s and early 1950s caused a major buildup of air defense forces in Alaska.
• The closest airport to Elmendorf Air Force Base (EDF) is Merrill Field (MRI), which is located only 3 miles (5 kilometers) SSW of EDF.
• The furthest airport from Elmendorf Air Force Base (EDF) is Port Elizabeth International Airport (PLZ), which is located 10,542 miles (16,965 kilometers) away in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
• The late 1950s, 1960s, and early 1970s brought about a gradual, but significant decline in air defense forces in Alaska due to mission changes and the demands of the Vietnam War.