Nonstop flight route between Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States and Syros Island, Greece:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Grand Forks Air Force Base (RDR), Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States and Syros National Airport "Demetrius Vikelas" (JSY), Syros Island, Greece would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,555 miles (or 8,940 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 Syros National Airport "Demetrius Vikelas", 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 Syros National Airport "Demetrius Vikelas". 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• During 1965, the wing’s three missile squadrons were activated and crew training and certification began at Vandenberg AFB in southern California.
• Opened 57 years ago in early 1957, the base's current host unit is the 319th Air Base Wing assigned to the Expeditionary Center of the Air Mobility Command.
• In addition to being known as "Grand Forks Air Force Base", another name for RDR is "Grand Forks AFB".
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.

Facts about Syros National Airport "Demetrius Vikelas" (JSY):

• The closest airport to Syros National Airport "Demetrius Vikelas" (JSY) is Mykonos Island National Airport (JMK), which is located 22 miles (35 kilometers) E of JSY.
• In addition to being known as "Syros National Airport "Demetrius Vikelas"", another name for JSY is "Κρατικός Αερολιμένας Σύρου "Δημήτριος Βικέλας"".
• The furthest airport from Syros National Airport "Demetrius Vikelas" (JSY) is Rurutu Airport (RUR), which is located 11,378 miles (18,311 kilometers) away in Rurutu, French Polynesia.
• Syros National Airport "Demetrius Vikelas" (JSY) currently has only 1 runway.
• Because of Syros National Airport "Demetrius Vikelas"'s relatively low elevation of 236 feet, planes can take off or land at Syros National Airport "Demetrius Vikelas" 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.