Nonstop flight route between Decatur, Illinois, United States and Anchorage, Alaska, United States:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from DEC to MRI:
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- About this route
- DEC Airport Information
- MRI Airport Information
- Facts about DEC
- Facts about MRI
- Map of Nearest Airports to DEC
- List of Nearest Airports to DEC
- Map of Furthest Airports from DEC
- List of Furthest Airports from DEC
- Map of Nearest Airports to MRI
- List of Nearest Airports to MRI
- Map of Furthest Airports from MRI
- List of Furthest Airports from MRI
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Decatur Airport (DEC), Decatur, Illinois, United States and Merrill Field (MRI), Anchorage, Alaska, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 2,916 miles (or 4,692 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 Decatur Airport and Merrill Field, 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 Decatur Airport and Merrill Field. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | DEC / KDEC |
Airport Name: | Decatur Airport |
Location: | Decatur, Illinois, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 39°50'3"N by 88°51'56"W |
Area Served: | Decatur, Illinois |
Operator/Owner: | Decatur Park District |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 682 feet (208 meters) |
# of Runways: | 3 |
View all routes: | Routes from DEC |
More Information: | DEC Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | MRI / PAMR |
Airport Name: | Merrill Field |
Location: | Anchorage, Alaska, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 61°12'48"N by 149°50'39"W |
Operator/Owner: | Municipality of Anchorage |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 137 feet (42 meters) |
# of Runways: | 3 |
View all routes: | Routes from MRI |
More Information: | MRI Maps & Info |
Facts about Decatur Airport (DEC):
- Because of Decatur Airport's relatively low elevation of 682 feet, planes can take off or land at Decatur 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.
- Decatur Airport is a public airport five miles east of Decatur, in Macon County, Illinois.
- The Illinois Army National Guard has an Army Aviation Support Facility at the airport.
- The closest airport to Decatur Airport (DEC) is University of Illinois Willard Airport (CMI), which is located 34 miles (55 kilometers) ENE of DEC.
- The furthest airport from Decatur Airport (DEC) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,056 miles (17,793 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
- Decatur Airport (DEC) has 3 runways.
- Federal Aviation Administration records say the airport had 1,232 passenger boardings in calendar year 2008, 672 in 2009 and 2,456 in 2010.
Facts about Merrill Field (MRI):
- Merrill Field, located on the east end of 5th Avenue in Anchorage, Alaska, was the only airport serving Anchorage until 1951 when the introduction of ever larger and faster commercial aircraft required that an airfield with longer and heavier runways be built.
- The closest airport to Merrill Field (MRI) is Elmendorf Air Force Base (EDF), which is located only 3 miles (5 kilometers) NNE of MRI.
- The furthest airport from Merrill Field (MRI) is Port Elizabeth International Airport (PLZ), which is located 10,545 miles (16,970 kilometers) away in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
- A section of the airport is built over the closed Merrill Field Land Fill.
- The offices of the Alaska Dispatch, parent company of the Anchorage Daily News, are located on Merrill Field.
- This was the first official airport in Anchorage when it opened in 1930.
- Merrill Field (MRI) has 3 runways.
- Because of Merrill Field's relatively low elevation of 137 feet, planes can take off or land at Merrill 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.