Nonstop flight route between Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States and Unalakleet, Alaska, United States:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from RDR to UNK:
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- About this route
- RDR Airport Information
- UNK Airport Information
- Facts about RDR
- Facts about UNK
- Map of Nearest Airports to RDR
- List of Nearest Airports to RDR
- Map of Furthest Airports from RDR
- List of Furthest Airports from RDR
- Map of Nearest Airports to UNK
- List of Nearest Airports to UNK
- Map of Furthest Airports from UNK
- List of Furthest Airports from UNK
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Grand Forks Air Force Base (RDR), Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States and Unalakleet Airport (UNK), Unalakleet, Alaska, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 2,555 miles (or 4,112 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 Unalakleet 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 Unalakleet Airport. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure Airport Information:
| IATA / ICAO Codes: | RDR / KRDR |
| Airport Names: |
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| Location: | Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States |
| GPS Coordinates: | 47°57'39"N by 97°24'3"W |
| View all routes: | Routes from RDR |
| More Information: | RDR Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
| IATA / ICAO Codes: | UNK / PAUN |
| Airport Name: | Unalakleet Airport |
| Location: | Unalakleet, Alaska, United States |
| GPS Coordinates: | 63°53'17"N by 160°47'56"W |
| Area Served: | Unalakleet, Alaska |
| Operator/Owner: | State of Alaska DOT&PF |
| Airport Type: | Public |
| Elevation: | 21 feet (6 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 2 |
| View all routes: | Routes from UNK |
| More Information: | UNK Maps & Info |
Facts about Grand Forks Air Force Base (RDR):
- 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.
- In addition to the interceptor squadrons, a Semi Automatic Ground Environment Data Center was established at Grand Forks in 1958.
- 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.
- 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 3 September 1974, the SAFSCOM Site Activation Team was relieved by the U.S.
- 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.
- In addition to being known as "Grand Forks Air Force Base", another name for RDR is "Grand Forks AFB".
Facts about Unalakleet Airport (UNK):
- Unalakleet Airport (UNK) has 2 runways.
- The closest airport to Unalakleet Airport (UNK) is Shaktoolik Airport (SKK), which is located 36 miles (58 kilometers) NNW of UNK.
- Because of Unalakleet Airport's relatively low elevation of 21 feet, planes can take off or land at Unalakleet 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 Unalakleet Airport (UNK) is Cape Town International Airport (CPT), which is located 10,369 miles (16,688 kilometers) away in Cape Town, South Africa.
