Nonstop flight route between Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States and Canberra, Australia:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Grand Forks Air Force Base (RDR), Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States and Canberra Airport (CBR), Canberra, Australia would travel a Great Circle distance of 9,000 miles (or 14,485 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 Canberra 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 Canberra Airport. 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 Grand Forks Air Force Base (RDR):

• 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 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 1973, the 319th Bomb Wing acquired the AGM-69 Short Range Attack Missile, replacing the older AGM-28 Hound Dog air-to-ground missile aboard its B-52H aircraft.
• 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 addition to being known as "Grand Forks Air Force Base", another name for RDR is "Grand Forks AFB".
• Survey teams selected sites in flat wheatlands close to the Canada-Minnesota border, north-northwest of Grand Forks.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.

Facts about Canberra Airport (CBR):

• Canberra Airport handled 3,206,103 passengers last year.
• The airport was built up from an old airstrip that was first laid down in the 1920s, not long after the National Capital site was decided.
• The closest airport to Canberra Airport (CBR) is Goulburn Airport (GUL), which is located 46 miles (74 kilometers) NE of CBR.
• In addition to being known as "Canberra Airport", another name for CBR is "Canberra International Airport".
• Several new hangars and buildings have been erected in both Fairbairn and near the terminal.
• The building's two wings, the Southern Concourse and the Western Concourse are separated by an Atrium, the centrepiece of the terminal.
• In early December 2007, plans were announced to construct a new terminal, with works commencing in July 2008, and completion set for September 2010.
• Canberra Airport (CBR) has 2 runways.
• The furthest airport from Canberra Airport (CBR) is Horta International Airport (HOR), which is nearly antipodal to Canberra Airport (meaning Canberra Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Horta International Airport), and is located 12,187 miles (19,612 kilometers) away in Horta, Azores, Portugal.