Nonstop flight route between Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States and Le Bourget (near Paris), France:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Grand Forks Air Force Base (RDR), Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States and Paris–Le Bourget Airport (LBG), Le Bourget (near Paris), France would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,213 miles (or 6,781 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 Paris–Le Bourget 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 Paris–Le Bourget 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 319th transitioned from B-52H to re-engined B-52G aircraft in 1983, and added the AGM-86 Air Launched Cruise Missile in 1984.
• In addition to being known as "Grand Forks Air Force Base", another name for RDR is "Grand Forks AFB".
• 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 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.
• 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.
• 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 was established on 1 December 1955, with construction beginning in the fall of that year.

Facts about Paris–Le Bourget Airport (LBG):

• The furthest airport from Paris–Le Bourget Airport (LBG) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is nearly antipodal to Paris–Le Bourget Airport (meaning Paris–Le Bourget Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Chatham Islands), and is located 12,076 miles (19,435 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
• Because of Paris–Le Bourget Airport's relatively low elevation of 220 feet, planes can take off or land at Paris–Le Bourget 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.
• Le Bourget Airport hosts the Musée de l'Air et de l'Espace, and, in odd-numbered years, the Paris Air Show.
• Paris–Le Bourget Airport (LBG) has 3 runways.
• On 16 June 1961, the Soviet ballet dancer Rudolf Nureyev defected at Le Bourget Airport.
• In addition to being known as "Paris–Le Bourget Airport", other names for LBG include "Paris - Le Bourget Airport", "Aéroport de Paris-Le Bourget" and "Advanced Landing Ground (ALG) A-54".
• Statue honouring the 1927 transatlantic efforts of Charles Nungesser, Francois Coli, and Charles Lindbergh, placed in 1928 at the aerodrome's entrance.
• The closest airport to Paris–Le Bourget Airport (LBG) is Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG), which is located only 6 miles (9 kilometers) ENE of LBG.