Nonstop flight route between Bairnsdale, Victoria, Australia and Big Spring, Texas, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Bairnsdale Aerodrome (BSJ), Bairnsdale, Victoria, Australia and Webb Air Force Base Big Spring Army Airfield (BGS), Big Spring, Texas, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 8,599 miles (or 13,838 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 Bairnsdale Aerodrome and Webb Air Force Base Big Spring Army Airfield, 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 Bairnsdale Aerodrome and Webb Air Force Base Big Spring Army Airfield. 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 Bairnsdale Aerodrome (BSJ):

• Bairnsdale Aerodrome (BSJ) has 2 runways.
• Because of Bairnsdale Aerodrome's relatively low elevation of 165 feet, planes can take off or land at Bairnsdale Aerodrome 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.
• The furthest airport from Bairnsdale Aerodrome (BSJ) is Flores Airport (FLW), which is nearly antipodal to Bairnsdale Aerodrome (meaning Bairnsdale Aerodrome is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Flores Airport), and is located 12,308 miles (19,807 kilometers) away in Flores Island, Azores, Portugal.
• The closest airport to Bairnsdale Aerodrome (BSJ) is Mount Hotham Airport (MHU), which is located 59 miles (96 kilometers) NNW of BSJ.

Facts about Webb Air Force Base Big Spring Army Airfield (BGS):

• The airfield and flight line was converted to an uncontrolled/UNICOM-only general aviation airport renamed Big Spring McMahon-Wrinkle Airport, serving the City of Big Spring.
• Webb Air Force Base, previously named Big Spring Air Force Base, was a United States Air Force facility of the Air Training Command that operated from 1951 to 1977 in west Texas within the current city limits of Big Spring.
• 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.
• The facility was brought back into service as a primary training installation because of the Korean War and the need for additional pilots.
• 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.
• The base was declared surplus and was turned over to the War Assets Administration after being closed.
• Perhaps the most dominant feature on the ATC landscape in 1974 was the serious fuel shortage the command had to contend with for much of the year.
• 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.
• By 1960, the consolidated pilot training program meant the consolidation of preflight, primary, and basic instruction into one school.