Nonstop flight route between Quimper, France and Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Quimper - Cornouaille Airport (UIP), Quimper, France and Grand Forks Air Force Base (RDR), Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,024 miles (or 6,476 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 Quimper - Cornouaille 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 Quimper - Cornouaille 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 Quimper - Cornouaille Airport (UIP):

• The closest airport to Quimper - Cornouaille Airport (UIP) is Brest Bretagne Airport (BES), which is located 35 miles (56 kilometers) NNW of UIP.
• Quimper - Cornouaille Airport (UIP) currently has only 1 runway.
• The furthest airport from Quimper - Cornouaille Airport (UIP) is Dunedin International Airport (DUD), which is nearly antipodal to Quimper - Cornouaille Airport (meaning Quimper - Cornouaille Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Dunedin International Airport), and is located 12,136 miles (19,531 kilometers) away in Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand.
• In addition to being known as "Quimper - Cornouaille Airport", another name for UIP is "Aéroport de Quimper - Cornouaille".
• Because of Quimper - Cornouaille Airport's relatively low elevation of 297 feet, planes can take off or land at Quimper - Cornouaille 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.

Facts about Grand Forks Air Force Base (RDR):

• 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.
• In 1971, the 18th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron was inactivated and the 460th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron replaced the unit.
• On 1 November 1964, 321st Strategic Missile Wing was organized as the Minuteman II intercontinental ballistic missile wing at GFAFB, the first in SAC.
• Grand Forks Air Force Base was established on 1 December 1955, with construction beginning in the fall of that year.
• 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 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.
• 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.
• On 3 November 1967, the Department of Defense revealed that GFAFB was one of 10 initial locations to host a Sentinel Anti-Ballistic Missile site.
• 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.