Nonstop flight route between Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States and West Wyalong, New South Wales, Australia:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Grand Forks Air Force Base (RDR), Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States and West Wyalong Airport (WWY), West Wyalong, New South Wales, Australia would travel a Great Circle distance of 9,035 miles (or 14,541 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 West Wyalong 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 West Wyalong 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):

• 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.
• In addition to the interceptor squadrons, a Semi Automatic Ground Environment Data Center was established at Grand Forks in 1958.
• In addition to being known as "Grand Forks Air Force Base", another name for RDR is "Grand Forks AFB".
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.

Facts about West Wyalong Airport (WWY):

• A number of smaller carriers would later service the West Wyalong - Sydney route, including Country Connection Airlines who provided 11 services per week between 1991 and 2001 using Piper Chieftain aircraft.
• West Wyalong Airport (WWY) has 2 runways.
• The closest airport to West Wyalong Airport (WWY) is Forbes Airport (FRB), which is located 58 miles (94 kilometers) NE of WWY.
• Currently West Wyalong is not serviced by any scheduled flights, but throughout the airport's history it has been served by many regional airlines.
• The furthest airport from West Wyalong Airport (WWY) is Horta International Airport (HOR), which is nearly antipodal to West Wyalong Airport (meaning West Wyalong Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Horta International Airport), and is located 12,047 miles (19,387 kilometers) away in Horta, Azores, Portugal.
• Because of West Wyalong Airport's relatively low elevation of 859 feet, planes can take off or land at West Wyalong 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.