Nonstop flight route between Big Spring, Texas, United States and Courchevel, France:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Webb Air Force Base Big Spring Army Airfield (BGS), Big Spring, Texas, United States and Courchevel Airport (CVF), Courchevel, France would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,444 miles (or 8,761 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 Courchevel 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 Webb Air Force Base Big Spring Army Airfield and Courchevel Airport. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!

Departure Airport Information:

Arrival Airport Information:

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.
• The airfield was activated as Big Spring Air Force Base on 1 October 1951 by the United States Air Force Air Training Command and established the 3560th Pilot Training Wing.
• 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.
• In 1968, ATC established a single phase-pilot training squadron concept at Webb.
• Webb AFB was turned over to the General Services Agency for disposal on 1 January 1978 and the property later turned over to the Big Spring Industrial Park.
• The base was declared surplus and was turned over to the War Assets Administration after being closed.
• 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.
• The Air Force established a standard wing structure—a dual deputy concept—in 1963.
• 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 facility was brought back into service as a primary training installation because of the Korean War and the need for additional pilots.

Facts about Courchevel Airport (CVF):

• The furthest airport from Courchevel Airport (CVF) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is nearly antipodal to Courchevel Airport (meaning Courchevel Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Chatham Islands), and is located 12,249 miles (19,713 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
• The closest airport to Courchevel Airport (CVF) is Méribel Airport (MFX), which is located only 3 miles (5 kilometers) WNW of CVF.
• Courchevel Airport (CVF) currently has only 1 runway.
• In addition to being known as "Courchevel Airport", another name for CVF is "Aérodrome de Courchevel".
• Because of Courchevel Airport's high elevation of 6,588 feet, planes must typically fly at a faster airspeed in order to takeoff or land at CVF. Combined with a high temperature, this could make CVF a "Hot & High" airport, where the air density is lower than it would otherwise be at sea level.