Nonstop flight route between Fort Wayne, Indiana, United States and Anchorage, Alaska, United States:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from SMD to EDF:
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- About this route
- SMD Airport Information
- EDF Airport Information
- Facts about SMD
- Facts about EDF
- Map of Nearest Airports to SMD
- List of Nearest Airports to SMD
- Map of Furthest Airports from SMD
- List of Furthest Airports from SMD
- Map of Nearest Airports to EDF
- List of Nearest Airports to EDF
- Map of Furthest Airports from EDF
- List of Furthest Airports from EDF
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Smith Field (SMD), Fort Wayne, Indiana, United States and Elmendorf Air Force Base (EDF), Anchorage, Alaska, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 2,968 miles (or 4,776 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 Smith Field and Elmendorf Air Force Base, 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 Smith Field and Elmendorf Air Force Base. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure Airport Information:
| IATA / ICAO Codes: | SMD / KSMD |
| Airport Name: | Smith Field |
| Location: | Fort Wayne, Indiana, United States |
| GPS Coordinates: | 41°8'35"N by 85°9'10"W |
| Area Served: | Fort Wayne, Indiana |
| Airport Type: | Public |
| Elevation: | 835 feet (255 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 4 |
| View all routes: | Routes from SMD |
| More Information: | SMD Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
| IATA / ICAO Codes: | EDF / PAED |
| Airport Names: |
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| Location: | Anchorage, Alaska, United States |
| GPS Coordinates: | 61°15'5"N by 149°48'23"W |
| View all routes: | Routes from EDF |
| More Information: | EDF Maps & Info |
Facts about Smith Field (SMD):
- Smith Field (SMD) has 4 runways.
- The old Baer Field, now renamed Smith Field, would remain Fort Wayne’s civil airport through World War II, and has since served general aviation.
- Because of Smith Field's relatively low elevation of 835 feet, planes can take off or land at Smith Field 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 closest airport to Smith Field (SMD) is Fort Wayne International Airport (FWA), which is located only 12 miles (19 kilometers) S of SMD.
- In 2010 Runway 5/23 was rebuilt.
- Smith Field is a public airport five miles north of downtown Fort Wayne, in Allen County, Indiana.
- Smith Field is Fort Wayne's first municipal airport and is one of America's oldest surviving aviation sites.
- The furthest airport from Smith Field (SMD) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,224 miles (18,064 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
Facts about Elmendorf Air Force Base (EDF):
- The closest airport to Elmendorf Air Force Base (EDF) is Merrill Field (MRI), which is located only 3 miles (5 kilometers) SSW of EDF.
- On 16 November 2010, a Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor took off for a training mission.
- In addition to being known as "Elmendorf Air Force Base", another name for EDF is "JB Elmendorf-Richardson".
- The adjacent facilities were officially combined by the 2005 Base Closure and Realignment Commission.
- The uncertain world situation in late 1940s and early 1950s caused a major buildup of air defense forces in Alaska.
- The furthest airport from Elmendorf Air Force Base (EDF) is Port Elizabeth International Airport (PLZ), which is located 10,542 miles (16,965 kilometers) away in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
- The strategic importance of Elmendorf AFB was graphically realized during the spring of 1980 when the 18th Tactical Fighter Squadron deployed eight of its F-4Es to Korea to participate in exercise Team Spirit.
- On 22 September 1995, a Boeing E-3 Sentry Airborne early warning and control aircraft with 22 USAF personnel and two Canadian air crew members crashed after ingesting a flock of Canada Geese, killing all on board.
