Nonstop flight route between Quito, Ecuador and Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Mariscal Sucre International Airport (UIO), Quito, Ecuador and Grand Forks Air Force Base (RDR), Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 3,513 miles (or 5,653 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 Mariscal Sucre International Airport and Grand Forks 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 Mariscal Sucre International Airport and Grand Forks Air Force Base. 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 Mariscal Sucre International Airport (UIO):

• Because of Mariscal Sucre International Airport's high elevation of 7,874 feet, planes must typically fly at a faster airspeed in order to takeoff or land at UIO. Combined with a high temperature, this could make UIO a "Hot & High" airport, where the air density is lower than it would otherwise be at sea level.
• Mariscal Sucre International Airport (UIO) currently has only 1 runway.
• The furthest airport from Mariscal Sucre International Airport (UIO) is Sultan Syarif Kasim II International Airport (PKU), which is nearly antipodal to Mariscal Sucre International Airport (meaning Mariscal Sucre International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Sultan Syarif Kasim II International Airport), and is located 12,409 miles (19,971 kilometers) away in Pekanbaru, Sumatra, Indonesia.
• The closest airport to Mariscal Sucre International Airport (UIO) is Cotopaxi International Airport (LTX), which is located 58 miles (93 kilometers) SSW of UIO.
• In addition to being known as "Mariscal Sucre International Airport", another name for UIO is "Aeropuerto Internacional Mariscal Sucre".

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.
• 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".
• SAGE operations were extremely expansive and GFADS was inactivated on 1 December 1963, when it was merged with the Minot Air Defense Sector at Minot AFB to the west.
• Grand Forks Air Force Base was established on 1 December 1955, with construction beginning in the fall of that year.
• 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 319th transitioned from B-52H to re-engined B-52G aircraft in 1983, and added the AGM-86 Air Launched Cruise Missile in 1984.