Nonstop flight route between Bastia, Corsica, France and Wichita Falls, Texas, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Bastia – Poretta Airport (BIA), Bastia, Corsica, France and Sheppard Air Force Base (SPS), Wichita Falls, Texas, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,464 miles (or 8,793 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 Bastia – Poretta Airport and Sheppard Air Force Base, 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 Bastia – Poretta Airport and Sheppard Air Force Base. 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 Bastia – Poretta Airport (BIA):

• In addition to being known as "Bastia – Poretta Airport", another name for BIA is "Aéroport de Bastia Poretta".
• The closest airport to Bastia – Poretta Airport (BIA) is Calvi - Sainte-Catherine Airport (CLY), which is located 35 miles (57 kilometers) W of BIA.
• Bastia – Poretta Airport (BIA) currently has only 1 runway.
• The furthest airport from Bastia – Poretta Airport (BIA) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is nearly antipodal to Bastia – Poretta Airport (meaning Bastia – Poretta Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Chatham Islands), and is located 12,125 miles (19,513 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
• Because of Bastia – Poretta Airport's relatively low elevation of 26 feet, planes can take off or land at Bastia – Poretta Airport 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.

Facts about Sheppard Air Force Base (SPS):

• The 80th Flying Training Wing began conducting the Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training Program in 1981.
• Comptroller, transportation, and intelligence training moved to Sheppard from Lowry AFB, Colorado, in the fall of 1954.
• The 80th Flying Training Wing, also at Sheppard, conducts the Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training program, a multi-nationally manned and managed flying training program chartered to produce combat pilots for both USAF and NATO.
• The furthest airport from Sheppard Air Force Base (SPS) is Sir Gaëtan Duval Airport (RRG), which is located 10,952 miles (17,626 kilometers) away in Rodrigues Island, Mauritius.
• The closest airport to Sheppard Air Force Base (SPS) is Kickapoo Downtown Airport (KIP), which is located only 9 miles (14 kilometers) S of SPS.
• Sheppard Air Force Base is named in honor of Senator John Morris Sheppard of Texas, chairman of the Senate Military Affairs Committee from 1933 until his death on 9 April 1941.
• The aircraft mechanics school was transferred to Sheppard from Keesler AFB, Mississippi in April 1949 to make room for expansion of electronic training at that base.
• Control and accountability for Sheppard Field was transferred to the Department of the Air Force 1 August 1948 and was reactivated 15 August 1948 to supplement Lackland AFB, Texas, as a basic training center renamed as Sheppard AFB.
• In addition to being known as "Sheppard Air Force Base", another name for SPS is "Sheppard AFB".