Nonstop flight route between Fort Bliss, El Paso, Texas, United States and St. Mary's, Alaska, United States:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from BIF to KSM:
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- About this route
- BIF Airport Information
- KSM Airport Information
- Facts about BIF
- Facts about KSM
- Map of Nearest Airports to BIF
- List of Nearest Airports to BIF
- Map of Furthest Airports from BIF
- List of Furthest Airports from BIF
- Map of Nearest Airports to KSM
- List of Nearest Airports to KSM
- Map of Furthest Airports from KSM
- List of Furthest Airports from KSM
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Biggs Army Airfield (BIF), Fort Bliss, El Paso, Texas, United States and St. Mary's Airport (KSM), St. Mary's, Alaska, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 3,240 miles (or 5,214 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 Biggs Army Airfield and St. Mary's 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 Biggs Army Airfield and St. Mary's Airport. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | BIF / KBIF |
Airport Names: |
|
Location: | Fort Bliss, El Paso, Texas, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 31°50'57"N by 106°22'47"W |
Operator/Owner: | U.S. Army ATCA-ASO |
Airport Type: | Military |
Elevation: | 3946 feet (1,203 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from BIF |
More Information: | BIF Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | KSM / PASM |
Airport Name: | St. Mary's Airport |
Location: | St. Mary's, Alaska, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 62°3'38"N by 163°18'6"W |
Operator/Owner: | Alaska DOT&PF |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 312 feet (95 meters) |
# of Runways: | 2 |
View all routes: | Routes from KSM |
More Information: | KSM Maps & Info |
Facts about Biggs Army Airfield (BIF):
- With World War II imminent, a massive construction effort was begun at Biggs Army Airfield between 1942–1945.
- The furthest airport from Biggs Army Airfield (BIF) is Sir Gaëtan Duval Airport (RRG), which is located 11,387 miles (18,325 kilometers) away in Rodrigues Island, Mauritius.
- With the inactivation of the 362d, its personnel and aircraft were assigned to the newly reactivated 20th Fighter Group.
- Biggs Army Airfield (BIF) currently has only 1 runway.
- The closest airport to Biggs Army Airfield (BIF) is El Paso International Airport (ELP), which is located only 3 miles (5 kilometers) S of BIF.
- The 97th experienced two mission changes in 1955.
- In addition to being known as "Biggs Army Airfield", another name for BIF is "Biggs Air Force BaseBiggs Field".
- In August 1953, the first B-36D arrived at Biggs, although the majority of aircraft received were the later-model B-36J-III models with a higher operational ceiling, strengthened landing gear, increased fuel capacity, armament reduced to tail guns only and reduced crew.
Facts about St. Mary's Airport (KSM):
- The furthest airport from St. Mary's Airport (KSM) is Cape Town International Airport (CPT), which is located 10,494 miles (16,889 kilometers) away in Cape Town, South Africa.
- Because of St. Mary's Airport's relatively low elevation of 312 feet, planes can take off or land at St. Mary's 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.
- St. Mary's Airport (KSM) has 2 runways.
- The closest airport to St. Mary's Airport (KSM) is Mountain Village Airport (MOU), which is located only 13 miles (20 kilometers) W of KSM.