Nonstop flight route between Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States and Yakutsk, Sakha (Yakutia) Republic, Russia:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Grand Forks Air Force Base (RDR), Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States and Yakutsk Airport (YKS), Yakutsk, Sakha (Yakutia) Republic, Russia would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,400 miles (or 7,082 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 Yakutsk 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 Yakutsk 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):

• In 1973, the 319th Bomb Wing acquired the AGM-69 Short Range Attack Missile, replacing the older AGM-28 Hound Dog air-to-ground missile aboard its B-52H aircraft.
• 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".
• The 4133d SW was redesignated as the 319th Bombardment Wing on 1 February 1963 in a name-only redesigation and was assigned to SAC's Second Air Force, 810th Strategic Aerospace Division.
• In March 1995, the 1995 Base Realignment and Closure Commission selected the 321st Strategic Missile Wing for inactivation.
• On 18 February 1957, the 478th Fighter Group was activated at Grand Forks.
• 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 1971, the 18th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron was inactivated and the 460th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron replaced the unit.
• 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 Yakutsk Airport (YKS):

• Construction of the airport started in 1931 and was used as a stopover on the ALSIB Alaska-Siberia air route for American planes flying to Europe during World War II.
• Yakutsk Airport (YKS) has 2 runways.
• In addition to being known as "Yakutsk Airport", another name for YKS is "Аэропорт Якутск / Дьокуускай Аэропорт".
• The furthest airport from Yakutsk Airport (YKS) is Teniente Rodolfo Marsh Airport (TNM), which is nearly antipodal to Yakutsk Airport (meaning Yakutsk Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Teniente Rodolfo Marsh Airport), and is located 12,154 miles (19,560 kilometers) away in Villa Las Estrellas, Antarctica.
• The closest airport to Yakutsk Airport (YKS) is Magan Airport (GYG), which is located only 7 miles (12 kilometers) W of YKS.
• Because of Yakutsk Airport's relatively low elevation of 325 feet, planes can take off or land at Yakutsk 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.