Nonstop flight route between Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States and Gomel, Belarus:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Grand Forks Air Force Base (RDR), Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States and Gomel Airport (GME), Gomel, Belarus would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,861 miles (or 7,823 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 Gomel 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 Gomel 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):

• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Following the departure of the last B-1B aircraft in 1994, the base transferred to the new Air Mobility Command and the 319th Bomb Wing was redesignated as the 319th Air Refueling Wing.
• In addition to being known as "Grand Forks Air Force Base", another name for RDR is "Grand Forks AFB".
• In 1971, the 18th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron was inactivated and the 460th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron replaced the unit.
• Grand Forks Air Force Base is a United States Air Force installation in northeastern North Dakota, located north of Emerado and 16 miles west of Grand Forks.
• 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.

Facts about Gomel Airport (GME):

• Gomel airport was a hub of a regional air company "Gomelavia", which ceased operations on 22 February 2011 due to bankruptcy.
• Besides Belarusian air companies, Latvian flag carrier "airBaltic" serviced flights between Gomel and Riga in 2006, but this destination is now defunct.
• Gomel Airport (GME) currently has only 1 runway.
• The furthest airport from Gomel Airport (GME) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is located 11,046 miles (17,777 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
• Because of Gomel Airport's relatively low elevation of 472 feet, planes can take off or land at Gomel 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.
• In addition to being known as "Gomel Airport", other names for GME include "Аэрапорт Гомель" and "Аэропорт Гомель".
• Gomel airport is now mainly used for charter flights to Italy, Belgium, Spain and some other Western European countries, those flights are organised by Western European organisations that take children from Gomel and its region to the West Europe with an eye to tourism.
• The closest airport to Gomel Airport (GME) is Chernihiv Airport (CEJ), which is located 78 miles (125 kilometers) S of GME.