Nonstop flight route between Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States and Lonorore, Pentecost Island, Pénama Province, Vanuatu:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Grand Forks Air Force Base (RDR), Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States and Lonorore Airport (LNE), Lonorore, Pentecost Island, Pénama Province, Vanuatu would travel a Great Circle distance of 7,230 miles (or 11,635 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 Lonorore 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 Lonorore 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.
• 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 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.
• On 18 February 1957, the 478th Fighter Group was activated at Grand Forks.
• 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 3 November 1967, the Department of Defense revealed that GFAFB was one of 10 initial locations to host a Sentinel Anti-Ballistic Missile site.
• In 1971, the 18th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron was inactivated and the 460th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron replaced the unit.
• 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 1973, the 319th Bomb Wing acquired the AGM-69 Short Range Attack Missile, replacing the older AGM-28 Hound Dog air-to-ground missile aboard its B-52H aircraft.

Facts about Lonorore Airport (LNE):

• Because of Lonorore Airport's relatively low elevation of 43 feet, planes can take off or land at Lonorore 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.
• Near the airport is a small post office which handles all of southern Pentecost's mail.
• The closest airport to Lonorore Airport (LNE) is Sara Airport (SSR), which is located 27 miles (44 kilometers) N of LNE.
• Lonorore began as a grass airstrip, capable of accommodating 20-seater Twin Otter aircraft in good conditions, although it was frequently unusable due to waterlogging in wet weather.
• The furthest airport from Lonorore Airport (LNE) is Sélibaby Airport (SEY), which is nearly antipodal to Lonorore Airport (meaning Lonorore Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Sélibaby Airport), and is located 12,383 miles (19,929 kilometers) away in Sélibaby, Mauritania.
• Lonorore Airport or Lonoror is an airport on south-western Pentecost Island, Vanuatu.