Nonstop flight route between Istres, France and Selma, Alabama, United States:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from QIE to SEM:
Share this route:
Jump to:
- About this route
- QIE Airport Information
- SEM Airport Information
- Facts about QIE
- Facts about SEM
- Map of Nearest Airports to QIE
- List of Nearest Airports to QIE
- Map of Furthest Airports from QIE
- List of Furthest Airports from QIE
- Map of Nearest Airports to SEM
- List of Nearest Airports to SEM
- Map of Furthest Airports from SEM
- List of Furthest Airports from SEM
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Istres-Le Tubé Air Base (QIE), Istres, France and Craig Field (SEM), Selma, Alabama, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,812 miles (or 7,744 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 Istres-Le Tubé Air Base and Craig 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 Istres-Le Tubé Air Base and Craig Field. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | QIE / LFMI |
Airport Names: |
|
Location: | Istres, France |
GPS Coordinates: | 43°31'27"N by 4°56'30"E |
Operator/Owner: | Government of France |
Airport Type: | Military |
Elevation: | 162 feet (49 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from QIE |
More Information: | QIE Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | SEM / KSEM |
Airport Name: | Craig Field |
Location: | Selma, Alabama, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 32°20'38"N by 86°59'16"W |
Area Served: | Selma, Alabama |
Operator/Owner: | Craig Field Airport & Industrial Authority |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 166 feet (51 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from SEM |
More Information: | SEM Maps & Info |
Facts about Istres-Le Tubé Air Base (QIE):
- Base aérienne 125 Istres Advanced Landing Ground Y-17
- The closest airport to Istres-Le Tubé Air Base (QIE) is Marseille Provence Airport (MRS), which is located only 15 miles (24 kilometers) ESE of QIE.
- Secondary users occasionally include the United States Air Force, during Allied operations engaging United States and France.
- The airfield was designated by the Americans as Istres/Le Tubé Airfield or Advanced Landing Ground Y-17.
- Istres-Le Tubé Air Base (QIE) currently has only 1 runway.
- Because of Istres-Le Tubé Air Base's relatively low elevation of 162 feet, planes can take off or land at Istres-Le Tubé Air Base 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 furthest airport from Istres-Le Tubé Air Base (QIE) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is nearly antipodal to Istres-Le Tubé Air Base (meaning Istres-Le Tubé Air Base is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Chatham Islands), and is located 12,364 miles (19,898 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
- In addition to being known as "Istres-Le Tubé Air Base", another name for QIE is "Base aérienne 125 Istres (BA 125)Advanced Landing Ground (ALG) Y-17".
Facts about Craig Field (SEM):
- Because of Craig Field's relatively low elevation of 166 feet, planes can take off or land at Craig 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.
- The furthest airport from Craig Field (SEM) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,157 miles (17,955 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
- The closest airport to Craig Field (SEM) is Montgomery Regional Airport (MGM), which is located 35 miles (56 kilometers) E of SEM.
- Craig Field (SEM) currently has only 1 runway.
- The former military family housing was sold to individual owners shortly after base closure and has seen significant decay as compared to its previous military occupants.
- Although the former USAF air traffic control tower at Craig Field remains standing, as of 2007 it was unmanned and non-operational, with UNICOM being used as a common traffic advisory frequency.