Nonstop flight route between Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States and Basongo, Democratic Republic of the Congo:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from RDR to BAN:
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- About this route
- RDR Airport Information
- BAN Airport Information
- Facts about RDR
- Facts about BAN
- Map of Nearest Airports to RDR
- List of Nearest Airports to RDR
- Map of Furthest Airports from RDR
- List of Furthest Airports from RDR
- Map of Nearest Airports to BAN
- List of Nearest Airports to BAN
- Map of Furthest Airports from BAN
- List of Furthest Airports from BAN
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Grand Forks Air Force Base (RDR), Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States and Basongo Airport (BAN), Basongo, Democratic Republic of the Congo would travel a Great Circle distance of 7,709 miles (or 12,406 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 Grand Forks Air Force Base and Basongo 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 Grand Forks Air Force Base and Basongo Airport. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | RDR / KRDR |
Airport Names: |
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Location: | Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 47°57'39"N by 97°24'3"W |
View all routes: | Routes from RDR |
More Information: | RDR Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | BAN / FZVR |
Airport Name: | Basongo Airport |
Location: | Basongo, Democratic Republic of the Congo |
GPS Coordinates: | 4°19'1"S by 20°25'58"E |
Area Served: | Basongo, Democratic Republic of the Congo |
Elevation: | 1640 feet (500 meters) |
View all routes: | Routes from BAN |
More Information: | BAN Maps & Info |
Facts about Grand Forks Air Force Base (RDR):
- 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.
- In 1971, the 18th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron was inactivated and the 460th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron replaced the unit.
- In addition to being known as "Grand Forks Air Force Base", another name for RDR is "Grand Forks AFB".
- The 319th transitioned from B-52H to re-engined B-52G aircraft in 1983, and added the AGM-86 Air Launched Cruise Missile in 1984.
- On 3 November 1967, the Department of Defense revealed that GFAFB was one of 10 initial locations to host a Sentinel Anti-Ballistic Missile site.
- 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.
- 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.
- Grand Forks Air Force Base was established on 1 December 1955, with construction beginning in the fall of that year.
- In addition to the interceptor squadrons, a Semi Automatic Ground Environment Data Center was established at Grand Forks in 1958.
Facts about Basongo Airport (BAN):
- The closest airport to Basongo Airport (BAN) is Idiofa Airport (IDF), which is located 74 miles (120 kilometers) SW of BAN.
- The furthest airport from Basongo Airport (BAN) is Cassidy International Airport (CXI), which is nearly antipodal to Basongo Airport (meaning Basongo Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Cassidy International Airport), and is located 12,215 miles (19,658 kilometers) away in Christmas Island, Kiribati.