Nonstop flight route between Fort Bliss, El Paso, Texas, United States and Yamagata, Japan:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from BIF to SYO:
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- About this route
- BIF Airport Information
- SYO Airport Information
- Facts about BIF
- Facts about SYO
- Map of Nearest Airports to BIF
- List of Nearest Airports to BIF
- Map of Furthest Airports from BIF
- List of Furthest Airports from BIF
- Map of Nearest Airports to SYO
- List of Nearest Airports to SYO
- Map of Furthest Airports from SYO
- List of Furthest Airports from SYO
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Biggs Army Airfield (BIF), Fort Bliss, El Paso, Texas, United States and Shonai Airport (SYO), Yamagata, Japan would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,968 miles (or 9,604 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 Biggs Army Airfield and Shonai Airport, 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 Biggs Army Airfield and Shonai Airport. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | BIF / KBIF |
Airport Names: |
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Location: | Fort Bliss, El Paso, Texas, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 31°50'57"N by 106°22'47"W |
Operator/Owner: | U.S. Army ATCA-ASO |
Airport Type: | Military |
Elevation: | 3946 feet (1,203 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from BIF |
More Information: | BIF Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | SYO / RJSY |
Airport Names: |
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Location: | Yamagata, Japan |
GPS Coordinates: | 38°48'43"N by 139°47'13"E |
Area Served: | Sakata, Yamagata |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 72 feet (22 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from SYO |
More Information: | SYO Maps & Info |
Facts about Biggs Army Airfield (BIF):
- With World War II imminent, a massive construction effort was begun at Biggs Army Airfield between 1942–1945.
- With the activation of TAC, the new command assigned Headquarters, Ninth Air Force to Biggs on 28 March upon its return from Germany.
- By 1966, the introduction of the Titan and Atlas Intercontinental Strategic Ballistic Missiles into the US Strategic Inventory lessened the need for intercontinental strategic bombers.
- Biggs Army Airfield (BIF) currently has only 1 runway.
- The 97th Air Refueling Squadron, activated in March 1949, saw its manning increase as it received its first KB-29P in January 1950.
- In addition to being known as "Biggs Army Airfield", another name for BIF is "Biggs Air Force BaseBiggs Field".
- Beginning in 1950, the 97th Bomb Wing received its first B-50 Superfortress, an improved version of the B-29 capable of delivering atomic weapons.
- In April 1943, the airfield came under the command of the Second Air Force and became headquarters for the XX Bomber Command.
- The furthest airport from Biggs Army Airfield (BIF) is Sir Gaëtan Duval Airport (RRG), which is located 11,387 miles (18,325 kilometers) away in Rodrigues Island, Mauritius.
- The closest airport to Biggs Army Airfield (BIF) is El Paso International Airport (ELP), which is located only 3 miles (5 kilometers) S of BIF.
- A period of organization and continued construction followed, with II Bomber Command taking over training.
- What is now Biggs Army Airfield started life in 1915 as an encampment at Fort Bliss, Texas for the 82d Field Artillery.
- While in Alaska, the 97th Bombardment Wing had been activated under the Hobson Plan, and the 97th Bomb Group became a subordinate organization under the wing.
Facts about Shonai Airport (SYO):
- Because of Shonai Airport's relatively low elevation of 72 feet, planes can take off or land at Shonai 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.
- In addition to being known as "Shonai Airport", other names for SYO include "庄内空港" and "Shonai Kūkō".
- The closest airport to Shonai Airport (SYO) is Yamagata Airport (GAJ), which is located 42 miles (67 kilometers) SE of SYO.
- Shonai Airport (SYO) currently has only 1 runway.
- Seiko Epson has also used the airport for weekly employee charter flights to and from Matsumoto since 1997.
- The furthest airport from Shonai Airport (SYO) is Rio Grande Regional Airport (RIG), which is located 11,620 miles (18,701 kilometers) away in Rio Grande, Brazil.