Nonstop flight route between Big Spring, Texas, United States and Arxan, Inner Mongolia, China:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Webb Air Force Base Big Spring Army Airfield (BGS), Big Spring, Texas, United States and Arxan Yi'ershi Airport (YIE), Arxan, Inner Mongolia, China would travel a Great Circle distance of 6,370 miles (or 10,251 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 Arxan Yi'ershi 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 Arxan Yi'ershi 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.
• In its continuing effort to cut costs, ATC made some major changes in the undergraduate pilot training program.
• 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.
• 78th Flying Training Wing
• 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.
• By 1960, the consolidated pilot training program meant the consolidation of preflight, primary, and basic instruction into one school.
• The facility first was used by the United States Army Air Forces as Big Spring Army Air Field, opening on 28 April 1942 as part of the Central Flying Training Command.
• 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.

Facts about Arxan Yi'ershi Airport (YIE):

• The furthest airport from Arxan Yi'ershi Airport (YIE) is Puerto Deseado Airport (PUD), which is nearly antipodal to Arxan Yi'ershi Airport (meaning Arxan Yi'ershi Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Puerto Deseado Airport), and is located 12,164 miles (19,576 kilometers) away in Puerto Deseado, Santa Cruz Province, Argentina.
• Arxan Yi'ershi Airport (YIE) currently has only 1 runway.
• The closest airport to Arxan Yi'ershi Airport (YIE) is Ulanhot Airport (HLH), which is located 126 miles (202 kilometers) SE of YIE.
• In addition to being known as "Arxan Yi'ershi Airport", other names for YIE include "阿尔山伊尔施机场", "Ā'ěrshān Yī'ěrshī Jīchǎng" and "ZBES".