Nonstop flight route between Skien, Telemark, Norway and Tonopah, Nevada, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Skien Airport, Geiteryggen (SKE), Skien, Telemark, Norway and Tonopah Test Range Airport (XSD), Tonopah, Nevada, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,068 miles (or 8,157 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 Skien Airport, Geiteryggen and Tonopah Test Range 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 Skien Airport, Geiteryggen and Tonopah Test Range 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 Skien Airport, Geiteryggen (SKE):

• In addition to being known as "Skien Airport, Geiteryggen", another name for SKE is "Skien lufthavn, Geiteryggen".
• Skien Airport, Geiteryggen handled 46,995 passengers last year.
• Discussions of expanding the runway had been carried out since the 1970s, but the issue had stranded as no-one was willing to finance the venture.
• By October 2007, Vildanden was in severe financial distress.
• The closest airport to Skien Airport, Geiteryggen (SKE) is Sandefjord Airport, Torp (TRF), which is located 24 miles (39 kilometers) E of SKE.
• The airport was built with a 650-meter gravel runway in 1952.
• Because of Skien Airport, Geiteryggen's relatively low elevation of 463 feet, planes can take off or land at Skien Airport, Geiteryggen 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 Skien Airport, Geiteryggen (SKE) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is located 11,344 miles (18,257 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
• Vildanden terminated its agreement with Aviatrans in April 2009, with the intention of using larger aircraft.
• Operation of the airport was transferred to Fjellfly, but remained owned by the municipality.

Facts about Tonopah Test Range Airport (XSD):

• The assets of the squadron could not go to the boneyard at Davis-Monthan AFB, and the fate of them remains in some cases, still classified.
• The furthest airport from Tonopah Test Range Airport (XSD) is Pierrefonds Airport (ZSE), which is located 11,207 miles (18,036 kilometers) away in Saint-Pierre, Réunion.
• Several locations were considered, Michael Army Airfield at the Dugway Proving Grounds in Utah, and the Gila Bend Air Force Auxiliary Field on the Goldwater Range in Arizona.
• The advent of Operation Rolling Thunder during the Vietnam War in March of 1965 led to the introduction of the obsolete and subsonic MiG-17 and the supersonic MiG-21 by the North Vietnamese Air Force being pitted against U.S.
• What was learned during these projects prompted the US Navy to commence Top Gun exercises first at NAS Miramar, California and then NAS Fallon, Nevada.
• It is known that the USAF continues a Foreign Materiel Acquisition/Exploitation program, although the extent of acquisitions and operations of that program is not available.
• The closest airport to Tonopah Test Range Airport (XSD) is Tonopah Airport (TPH), which is located 25 miles (40 kilometers) NW of XSD.