Nonstop flight route between Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States and Nouméa, New Caledonia:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Grand Forks Air Force Base (RDR), Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States and Nouméa Magenta Airport (GEA), Nouméa, New Caledonia would travel a Great Circle distance of 7,623 miles (or 12,268 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 Nouméa Magenta 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 Nouméa Magenta 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):

• 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.
• 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 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.
• On 18 February 1957, the 478th Fighter Group was activated at 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.
• In March 1995, the 1995 Base Realignment and Closure Commission selected the 321st Strategic Missile Wing for inactivation.
• The 4133d SW was redesignated as the 319th Bombardment Wing on 1 February 1963 in a name-only redesigation and was assigned to SAC's Second Air Force, 810th Strategic Aerospace Division.

Facts about Nouméa Magenta Airport (GEA):

• The closest airport to Nouméa Magenta Airport (GEA) is Tontouta International Airport (NOU), which is located 23 miles (38 kilometers) NW of GEA.
• The furthest airport from Nouméa Magenta Airport (GEA) is Fderik Airport (FGD), which is nearly antipodal to Nouméa Magenta Airport (meaning Nouméa Magenta Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Fderik Airport), and is located 12,379 miles (19,922 kilometers) away in Fderik, Mauritania.
• In addition to being known as "Nouméa Magenta Airport", another name for GEA is "l'Aéroport de Nouméa Magenta".
• Nouméa Magenta Airport (GEA) currently has only 1 runway.
• Because of Nouméa Magenta Airport's relatively low elevation of 33 feet, planes can take off or land at Nouméa Magenta 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.