Nonstop flight route between Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States and Birch Creek, Alaska, United States:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from RDR to KBC:
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- About this route
- RDR Airport Information
- KBC Airport Information
- Facts about RDR
- Facts about KBC
- Map of Nearest Airports to RDR
- List of Nearest Airports to RDR
- Map of Furthest Airports from RDR
- List of Furthest Airports from RDR
- Map of Nearest Airports to KBC
- List of Nearest Airports to KBC
- Map of Furthest Airports from KBC
- List of Furthest Airports from KBC
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Grand Forks Air Force Base (RDR), Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States and Birch Creek Airport (KBC), Birch Creek, Alaska, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 2,130 miles (or 3,428 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 Grand Forks Air Force Base and Birch Creek Airport, the route shown on this map most likely still appears to be a straight line.
Departure Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | RDR / KRDR |
Airport Names: |
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Location: | Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 47°57'39"N by 97°24'3"W |
View all routes: | Routes from RDR |
More Information: | RDR Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | KBC / |
Airport Names: |
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Location: | Birch Creek, Alaska, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 66°16'26"N by 145°49'27"W |
Area Served: | Birch Creek, Alaska |
Operator/Owner: | State of Alaska DOT&PF - Northern Region |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 450 feet (137 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from KBC |
More Information: | KBC Maps & Info |
Facts about Grand Forks Air Force Base (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.
- 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".
- Following the departure of the last B-1B aircraft in 1994, the base transferred to the new Air Mobility Command and the 319th Bomb Wing was redesignated as the 319th Air Refueling Wing.
- The DC-11 SAGE blockhouse was later the headquarters of the SAC 321st Strategic Missile Wing.
- In October 1977, the PAR came under operational control of the USAF, which operated it thereafter as part of its early warning system.
- 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.
Facts about Birch Creek Airport (KBC):
- Birch Creek Airport (KBC) currently has only 1 runway.
- In addition to being known as "Birch Creek Airport", another name for KBC is "Z91".
- Because of Birch Creek Airport's relatively low elevation of 450 feet, planes can take off or land at Birch Creek 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.
- The closest airport to Birch Creek Airport (KBC) is Fort Yukon Airport (FYU), which is located 26 miles (42 kilometers) NE of KBC.
- The furthest airport from Birch Creek Airport (KBC) is Port Elizabeth International Airport (PLZ), which is located 10,178 miles (16,381 kilometers) away in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.