Nonstop flight route between Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States and Kodiak, Alaska, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Grand Forks Air Force Base (RDR), Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States and Kodiak Benny Benson State Airport (ADQ), Kodiak, Alaska, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 2,324 miles (or 3,740 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 relatively short distance between Grand Forks Air Force Base and Kodiak Benny Benson State Airport, the route shown on this map most likely still appears to be a straight line.

Departure Airport Information:

Arrival Airport Information:

Facts about Grand Forks Air Force Base (RDR):

• During 1965, the wing’s three missile squadrons were activated and crew training and certification began at Vandenberg AFB in southern California.
• 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.
• 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.
• In addition to being known as "Grand Forks Air Force Base", another name for RDR is "Grand Forks AFB".
• On 18 February 1957, the 478th Fighter Group was activated at Grand Forks.
• The DC-11 SAGE blockhouse was later the headquarters of the SAC 321st Strategic Missile Wing.
• 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.
• During the Cold War, GFAFB was a major installation of the Strategic Air Command, with B-52 bombers, KC-135 tankers, and Minuteman intercontinental ballistic missiles.
• SAGE operations were extremely expansive and GFADS was inactivated on 1 December 1963, when it was merged with the Minot Air Defense Sector at Minot AFB to the west.

Facts about Kodiak Benny Benson State Airport (ADQ):

• The closest airport to Kodiak Benny Benson State Airport (ADQ) is Kodiak Municipal Airport (KDK), which is located only 6 miles (9 kilometers) NE of ADQ.
• The furthest airport from Kodiak Benny Benson State Airport (ADQ) is Port Elizabeth International Airport (PLZ), which is located 10,792 miles (17,369 kilometers) away in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
• Kodiak Benny Benson State Airport (ADQ) has 3 runways.
• Because of Kodiak Benny Benson State Airport's relatively low elevation of 78 feet, planes can take off or land at Kodiak Benny Benson State 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.
• According to various editions of the North American Official Airline Guide in the 1970s and 1980s, Kodiak was previously served by several airlines that operated jet service into the airport.
• The airport is on the site of the former Naval Air Station Kodiak which was commissioned in 1941.