Nonstop flight route between Red Lake, Ontario, Canada and Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Red Lake Airport (YRL), Red Lake, Ontario, Canada and Grand Forks Air Force Base (RDR), Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 269 miles (or 432 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 relatively short distance between Red Lake Airport and Grand Forks Air Force Base, the route shown on this map most likely still appears to be a straight line.

Departure Airport Information:

Arrival Airport Information:

Facts about Red Lake Airport (YRL):

• Red Lake Airport (YRL) currently has only 1 runway.
• Construction of a 4,000 ft × 150 ft gravel runway began in 1946 and was put into use of May 29, 1947 when Canadian Pacific Air Lines began daily service from Winnipeg.
• The closest airport to Red Lake Airport (YRL) is Pikangikum Airport (YPM), which is located 53 miles (85 kilometers) N of YRL.
• The furthest airport from Red Lake Airport (YRL) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 10,569 miles (17,008 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
• Those leaving or arriving in Red Lake now enter a building that has a large ticket and rental car counters, luggage carousels, naturally lit seating areas, Nav Canada offices and space for administration.
• The airport operated privately until 1959 when the Department of Transport took over and lighting was installed.
• Red Lake Airport, is located 3 nautical miles north of Red Lake, Ontario, Canada.

Facts about Grand Forks Air Force Base (RDR):

• Due to the continuance of the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union, GFAFB was originally an Air Defense Command fighter-interceptor air base.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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 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 addition to being known as "Grand Forks Air Force Base", another name for RDR is "Grand Forks AFB".
• Survey teams selected sites in flat wheatlands close to the Canada-Minnesota border, north-northwest of Grand Forks.