Nonstop flight route between Savannakhet, Laos and Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Savannakhet Airport (ZVK), Savannakhet, Laos and Grand Forks Air Force Base (RDR), Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 7,774 miles (or 12,510 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 Savannakhet 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 Savannakhet 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 Savannakhet Airport (ZVK):

• The closest airport to Savannakhet Airport (ZVK) is Nakhon Phanom Airport (KOP), which is located 58 miles (93 kilometers) N of ZVK.
• In addition to being known as "Savannakhet Airport", another name for ZVK is "ສະຫນາມບິນສະຫວັນນະເຂດ".
• The furthest airport from Savannakhet Airport (ZVK) is Maria Reiche Neuman Airport (NZC), which is nearly antipodal to Savannakhet Airport (meaning Savannakhet Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Maria Reiche Neuman Airport), and is located 12,318 miles (19,823 kilometers) away in Nazca, Ica Region, Peru.
• Because of Savannakhet Airport's relatively low elevation of 509 feet, planes can take off or land at Savannakhet 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.
• Savannakhet Airport (ZVK) currently has only 1 runway.

Facts about Grand Forks Air Force Base (RDR):

• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• The DC-11 SAGE blockhouse was later the headquarters of the SAC 321st Strategic Missile Wing.
• Grand Forks AFB is the home of the Air Mobility Command's 319th Air Base Wing.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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 1971, the 18th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron was inactivated and the 460th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron replaced the unit.
• In addition to being known as "Grand Forks Air Force Base", another name for RDR is "Grand Forks AFB".
• In October 1977, the PAR came under operational control of the USAF, which operated it thereafter as part of its early warning system.