Nonstop flight route between Cocoa Beach, Florida, United States and Cognac / Châteaubernard, France:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Patrick Air Force Base (COF), Cocoa Beach, Florida, United States and Cognac - Châteaubernard Air Base (CNG), Cognac / Châteaubernard, France would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,405 miles (or 7,089 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 Patrick Air Force Base and Cognac - Châteaubernard Air 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 Patrick Air Force Base and Cognac - Châteaubernard Air 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 Patrick Air Force Base (COF):

• NAS Banana River closed in September 1947 after a gradual deactivation and was placed in a caretaker status.
• Adjacent to the 920 RQW's facilities is the NASA Flight Operations Facility, which provides support for NASA's permanently based UH-1H helicopters supporting KSC and transient NASA fixed-wing aircraft such as the T-38 Talon.
• The host wing for Patrick AFB is the 45th Space Wing, whose officers and airmen manage all launches of unmanned rockets at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station 12 miles to the north.
• On May 17, 1950, the base was renamed the "Long Range Proving Ground Base" but three months later was renamed "Patrick Air Force Base", in honor of Major General Mason Patrick.
• During investigation by a board of inquiry regarding the entire Flight 19 incident, attention was given to the loss of the NAS Banana River-based PBM.
• The furthest airport from Patrick Air Force Base (COF) is Shark Bay Airport (MJK), which is located 11,550 miles (18,587 kilometers) away in Monkey Mia, Western Australia, Australia.
• Patrick Air Force Base is a United States Air Force Base located between Satellite Beach and Cocoa Beach, in Brevard County, Florida, United States.
• The closest airport to Patrick Air Force Base (COF) is Merritt Island Airport (COI), which is located only 9 miles (14 kilometers) NNW of COF.
• In addition to being known as "Patrick Air Force Base", another name for COF is "Patrick AFB".
• At 19:50, the tanker SS Gaines Mills reported seeing a mid-air explosion, then flames leaping 100 feet high and burning on the sea for 10 minutes.

Facts about Cognac - Châteaubernard Air Base (CNG):

• Cognac - Châteaubernard Air Base (CNG) has 2 runways.
• In addition to being known as "Cognac - Châteaubernard Air Base", another name for CNG is "Base aérienne 709 Cognac-Châteaubernard".
• Because of Cognac - Châteaubernard Air Base's relatively low elevation of 102 feet, planes can take off or land at Cognac - Châteaubernard Air Base 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 Cognac - Châteaubernard Air Base (CNG) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is nearly antipodal to Cognac - Châteaubernard Air Base (meaning Cognac - Châteaubernard Air Base is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Chatham Islands), and is located 12,208 miles (19,647 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
• The closest airport to Cognac - Châteaubernard Air Base (CNG) is Angoulême - Brie - Champniers Airport (ANG), which is located 26 miles (42 kilometers) E of CNG.