Nonstop flight route between Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States and Shell Mera, Ecuador:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Grand Forks Air Force Base (RDR), Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States and Rio Amazonas Airport (PTZ), Shell Mera, Ecuador would travel a Great Circle distance of 3,611 miles (or 5,811 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 Rio Amazonas 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 Rio Amazonas 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 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• In addition to the interceptor squadrons, a Semi Automatic Ground Environment Data Center was established at Grand Forks in 1958.
• With the restructuring of the Air Force and the disestablishment of SAC in 1992, the wing transferred to Air Combat Command, then came under Air Force Space Command in 1993.

Facts about Rio Amazonas Airport (PTZ):

• The closest airport to Rio Amazonas Airport (PTZ) is Chachoan Airport (ATF), which is located 41 miles (66 kilometers) WNW of PTZ.
• In addition to being known as "Rio Amazonas Airport", other names for PTZ include "Areopuerto Rio Amazonas" and "SESM".
• Rio Amazonas Airport (PTZ) currently has only 1 runway.
• The furthest airport from Rio Amazonas Airport (PTZ) is Pinang Kampai Airport (DUM), which is nearly antipodal to Rio Amazonas Airport (meaning Rio Amazonas Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Pinang Kampai Airport), and is located 12,401 miles (19,958 kilometers) away in Dumai, Sumatra, Indonesia.