Nonstop flight route between Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States and Mangareva, Gambier Islands, French Polynesia:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Grand Forks Air Force Base (RDR), Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States and Totegegie Airport (GMR), Mangareva, Gambier Islands, French Polynesia would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,431 miles (or 8,740 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 large distance between Grand Forks Air Force Base and Totegegie 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 Totegegie 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 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".
• 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.
• 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.
• On 1 November 1964, 321st Strategic Missile Wing was organized as the Minuteman II intercontinental ballistic missile wing at GFAFB, the first in SAC.
• 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 Totegegie Airport (GMR):

• Because of Totegegie Airport's relatively low elevation of 7 feet, planes can take off or land at Totegegie 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.
• The closest airport to Totegegie Airport (GMR) is Tureira Airport (ZTA), which is located 285 miles (458 kilometers) WNW of GMR.
• The furthest airport from Totegegie Airport (GMR) is Dawadmi Domestic Airport (DWD), which is nearly antipodal to Totegegie Airport (meaning Totegegie Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Dawadmi Domestic Airport), and is located 12,323 miles (19,833 kilometers) away in Dawadmi, Saudi Arabia.
• Totegegie Airport (GMR) currently has only 1 runway.
• Mangareva is crucial in its role as the outside world's link to the more famous Pitcairn Island.