Nonstop flight route between Big Spring, Texas, United States and Johannesburg, South Africa:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from BGS to GCJ:
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- About this route
- BGS Airport Information
- GCJ Airport Information
- Facts about BGS
- Facts about GCJ
- 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 GCJ
- List of Nearest Airports to GCJ
- Map of Furthest Airports from GCJ
- List of Furthest Airports from GCJ
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Webb Air Force Base Big Spring Army Airfield (BGS), Big Spring, Texas, United States and Grand Central Airport (GCJ), Johannesburg, South Africa would travel a Great Circle distance of 9,395 miles (or 15,119 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 Grand Central 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 Grand Central Airport. 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: | GCJ / FAGC |
| Airport Name: | Grand Central Airport |
| Location: | Johannesburg, South Africa |
| GPS Coordinates: | 25°59'11"S by 28°8'24"E |
| Area Served: | Johannesburg |
| Operator/Owner: | Private |
| Airport Type: | Public |
| Elevation: | 5327 feet (1,624 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 1 |
| View all routes: | Routes from GCJ |
| More Information: | GCJ Maps & Info |
Facts about Webb Air Force Base Big Spring Army Airfield (BGS):
- 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.
- Instruction of the first class began in April 1952.
- 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.
- 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.
- Construction of the Army Air Forces Bombardier School began on 15 May 1942, and the airfield received its first class of cadets on 16 September 1942.
- 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.
Facts about Grand Central Airport (GCJ):
- The airfield was started in the 1930s by a group of motor racing enthusiasts who were also interested in flying.
- The furthest airport from Grand Central Airport (GCJ) is Hana Airport (HNM), which is located 11,992 miles (19,299 kilometers) away in Hana, Hawaii, United States.
- The closest airport to Grand Central Airport (GCJ) is O. R. Tambo International Airport (JNB), which is located only 12 miles (20 kilometers) SSE of GCJ.
- Grand Central Airport is a small privately owned airfield which is open to public air traffic.
- Grand Central Airport (GCJ) currently has only 1 runway.
- Grand Central is a fully equipped airfield and is open 24 hours a day.
- Because of Grand Central Airport's high elevation of 5,327 feet, planes must typically fly at a faster airspeed in order to takeoff or land at GCJ. Combined with a high temperature, this could make GCJ a "Hot & High" airport, where the air density is lower than it would otherwise be at sea level.
