Nonstop flight route between Fort Bliss, El Paso, Texas, United States and Marion, Illinois, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Biggs Army Airfield (BIF), Fort Bliss, El Paso, Texas, United States and Williamson County Regional Airport (MWA), Marion, Illinois, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 1,064 miles (or 1,713 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 relatively short distance between Biggs Army Airfield and Williamson County Regional Airport, the route shown on this map most likely still appears to be a straight line.

Departure Airport Information:

Arrival Airport Information:

Facts about Biggs Army Airfield (BIF):

• Prior to the takeover of Biggs by SAC in October 1948, it had previously moved the B-29 Superfortress-equipped 97th Bombardment Group to the base in May.
• A period of organization and continued construction followed, with II Bomber Command taking over training.
• Biggs Army Airfield (BIF) currently has only 1 runway.
• The 97th operated B-29s from Biggs, and participated in numerous exercises, operational readiness inspections, and overseas deployments.
• 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.
• In addition to being known as "Biggs Army Airfield", another name for BIF is "Biggs Air Force BaseBiggs Field".
• On 27 September 1947, Biggs Army Airfield became Biggs Air Force Base with the establishment of the United States Air Force, replacing the Army Air Forces.
• In April 1943, the airfield came under the command of the Second Air Force and became headquarters for the XX Bomber Command.
• 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.
• In 1958, the ability of the B-47 to penetrate Soviet airspace became compromised by improvements to the Soviet air defense system.
• The 97th Air Refueling Squadron, activated in March 1949, saw its manning increase as it received its first KB-29P in January 1950.

Facts about Williamson County Regional Airport (MWA):

• The furthest airport from Williamson County Regional Airport (MWA) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,065 miles (17,807 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
• It has one FBO, Aeroflite, located at the base of the control tower on the general aviation ramp.
• The closest airport to Williamson County Regional Airport (MWA) is Southern Illinois Airport (MDH), which is located only 13 miles (21 kilometers) W of MWA.
• Williamson County Regional Airport (MWA) has 2 runways.
• Because of Williamson County Regional Airport's relatively low elevation of 472 feet, planes can take off or land at Williamson County Regional 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.
• On November 6, 2006 Mesa Airlines announced that new service to Chicago Midway International Airport would begin in February 2007 operated by subsidiary Air Midwest, with service to Decatur Airport in Decatur, Illinois, and continuing to Chicago Midway International Airport direct.