Nonstop flight route between Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States and Reykjavík, Iceland:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Grand Forks Air Force Base (RDR), Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States and Reykjavík Airport (RKV), Reykjavík, Iceland would travel a Great Circle distance of 2,911 miles (or 4,685 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 Reykjavík 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 Reykjavík 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.
• In October 1977, the PAR came under operational control of the USAF, which operated it thereafter as part of its early warning system.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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 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.

Facts about Reykjavík Airport (RKV):

• Icelandair Group and Icelandair have a head office at the airport.Air Iceland and Isavia also have their head offices on the airport property.
• Reykjavík Airport handled 430,316 passengers last year.
• In addition to being known as "Reykjavík Airport", other names for RKV include "Reykjavík Domestic Airport" and "Reykjavíkurflugvöllur".
• The closest airport to Reykjavík Airport (RKV) is Keflavík International Airport (KEF), which is located 22 miles (36 kilometers) WSW of RKV.
• The furthest airport from Reykjavík Airport (RKV) is Ryan's Creek Aerodrome (SZS), which is located 11,187 miles (18,003 kilometers) away in Stewart Island, New Zealand.
• The first flight from the airport area was 3 September 1919, with the takeoff of an Avro 504, the first aeroplane in Iceland.
• Because of Reykjavík Airport's relatively low elevation of 45 feet, planes can take off or land at Reykjavík 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.
• Reykjavík Airport (RKV) has 3 runways.
• On 27 December 1980, Douglas C-47B N54605 of Visionair International was damaged beyond repair in a storm at Reykjavik Airport.
• The city has grown around the airport and it is now located in the western part of the city.