Nonstop flight route between Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States and Pekanbaru, Sumatra, Indonesia:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Grand Forks Air Force Base (RDR), Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States and Sultan Syarif Kasim II International Airport (PKU), Pekanbaru, Sumatra, Indonesia would travel a Great Circle distance of 8,905 miles (or 14,331 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 Sultan Syarif Kasim II International 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 Sultan Syarif Kasim II International 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):

• 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.
• Survey teams selected sites in flat wheatlands close to the Canada-Minnesota border, north-northwest 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.
• 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 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.
• In addition to being known as "Grand Forks Air Force Base", another name for RDR is "Grand Forks AFB".
• On 18 February 1957, the 478th Fighter Group was activated at 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 Sultan Syarif Kasim II International Airport (PKU):

• Sultan Syarif Kasim II International Airport (PKU) currently has only 1 runway.
• Because of Sultan Syarif Kasim II International Airport's relatively low elevation of 104 feet, planes can take off or land at Sultan Syarif Kasim II International 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 furthest airport from Sultan Syarif Kasim II International Airport (PKU) is Mariscal Sucre International Airport (UIO), which is nearly antipodal to Sultan Syarif Kasim II International Airport (meaning Sultan Syarif Kasim II International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Mariscal Sucre International Airport), and is located 12,409 miles (19,971 kilometers) away in Quito, Ecuador.
• The closest airport to Sultan Syarif Kasim II International Airport (PKU) is Pinang Kampai Airport (DUM), which is located 79 miles (128 kilometers) N of PKU.
• The airport is also a Type B airbase of the TNI-AU, homebase of the 12th Squadron, a shelter to some Hawk Mk.109s and Mk.209s.
• The executive lounge or known as Lembayung Executive Lounge provides a cozy and comfortable area, specially designated for passengers that are waiting for flights.
• In addition to being known as "Sultan Syarif Kasim II International Airport", other names for PKU include "Bandar Udara Internasional Sultan Syarif Kasim II" and "بندر اودارا اينترنسيونل سلطان شريف قاسم ٢".
• Sultan Syarif Kasim II International Airport handled 392,399 passengers last year.