Nonstop flight route between Big Spring, Texas, United States and Attu Island, Alaska, United States:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from BGS to ATU:
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- About this route
- BGS Airport Information
- ATU Airport Information
- Facts about BGS
- Facts about ATU
- Map of Nearest Airports to BGS
- List of Nearest Airports to BGS
- Map of Furthest Airports from BGS
- List of Furthest Airports from BGS
- Map of Nearest Airports to ATU
- List of Nearest Airports to ATU
- Map of Furthest Airports from ATU
- List of Furthest Airports from ATU
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Webb Air Force Base Big Spring Army Airfield (BGS), Big Spring, Texas, United States and Casco Cove Coast Guard Station (ATU), Attu Island, Alaska, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,296 miles (or 6,914 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 Webb Air Force Base Big Spring Army Airfield and Casco Cove Coast Guard Station, 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 Webb Air Force Base Big Spring Army Airfield and Casco Cove Coast Guard Station. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure Airport Information:
| IATA / ICAO Codes: | BGS / |
| Airport Name: | Webb Air Force Base Big Spring Army Airfield |
| Location: | Big Spring, Texas, United States |
| GPS Coordinates: | 32°13'5"N by 101°31'17"W |
| View all routes: | Routes from BGS |
| More Information: | BGS Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
| IATA / ICAO Codes: | ATU / PAAT |
| Airport Names: |
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| Location: | Attu Island, Alaska, United States |
| GPS Coordinates: | 52°49'57"N by 173°10'32"E |
| Operator/Owner: | U.S. Coast Guard 17th Dist. |
| Airport Type: | Private use |
| Elevation: | 88 feet (27 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 1 |
| View all routes: | Routes from ATU |
| More Information: | ATU Maps & Info |
Facts about Webb Air Force Base Big Spring Army Airfield (BGS):
- In 1956, the Air Defense Command 331st Fighter-Interceptor Squadron was transferred to Webb from Stewart Air Force Base in New York to defend the southern United States border on air intercept missions as part of the Central Air Defense Force.
- Activated on 26 June 1942, the mission of Big Spring AAF was to train aviation cadets in high altitude precision bombing as bombardiers.
- By the mid-1970s, the end of the Vietnam War, the associated financial costs of that conflict and related cuts in USAF force structure and future defense budgets meant a marked decrease in the need for Air Force pilots.
- At that time, nearly 6,000 students had graduated and the field's training aircraft had flown approximately 400,000 hours and more than 60 million miles.
- Emblem of the AAF Bombardier School Big Spring AAF
- The closest airport to Webb Air Force Base Big Spring Army Airfield (BGS) is Midland Airpark (MDD), which is located 36 miles (58 kilometers) WSW of BGS.
- The furthest airport from Webb Air Force Base Big Spring Army Airfield (BGS) is Sir Gaëtan Duval Airport (RRG), which is located 11,166 miles (17,969 kilometers) away in Rodrigues Island, Mauritius.
- By 1960, the consolidated pilot training program meant the consolidation of preflight, primary, and basic instruction into one school.
- Webb Air Force Base, previously named Big Spring Air Force Base, was a United States Air Force facility of the Air Training Command that operated from 1951 to 1977 in west Texas within the current city limits of Big Spring.
Facts about Casco Cove Coast Guard Station (ATU):
- In addition to being known as "Casco Cove Coast Guard Station", other names for ATU include "LORAN Station Attu" and "(former Naval Air Facility Attu)".
- The Casco Cove Airport was a LORAN navigation station operated by the United States Coast Guard.
- Casco Cove Coast Guard Station (ATU) currently has only 1 runway.
- Because of Casco Cove Coast Guard Station's relatively low elevation of 88 feet, planes can take off or land at Casco Cove Coast Guard Station 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 Casco Cove Coast Guard Station (ATU) is Cape Town International Airport (CPT), which is located 10,631 miles (17,109 kilometers) away in Cape Town, South Africa.
- Casco Cove CGS resides at elevation of 88 feet above mean sea level.
- The closest airport to Casco Cove Coast Guard Station (ATU) is Eareckson Air Station (SYA), which is located 40 miles (65 kilometers) ESE of ATU.
