Nonstop flight route between Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, United States and Bluefield, West Virginia, United States:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from INR to BLF:
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- About this route
- INR Airport Information
- BLF Airport Information
- Facts about INR
- Facts about BLF
- Map of Nearest Airports to INR
- List of Nearest Airports to INR
- Map of Furthest Airports from INR
- List of Furthest Airports from INR
- Map of Nearest Airports to BLF
- List of Nearest Airports to BLF
- Map of Furthest Airports from BLF
- List of Furthest Airports from BLF
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Kincheloe Air Force Base (INR), Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, United States and Mercer County Airport (BLF), Bluefield, West Virginia, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 641 miles (or 1,032 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 Kincheloe Air Force Base and Mercer County Airport, the route shown on this map most likely still appears to be a straight line.
Departure Airport Information:
| IATA / ICAO Codes: | INR / |
| Airport Name: | Kincheloe Air Force Base |
| Location: | Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, United States |
| GPS Coordinates: | 46°15'2"N by 84°28'20"W |
| View all routes: | Routes from INR |
| More Information: | INR Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
| IATA / ICAO Codes: | BLF / KBLF |
| Airport Name: | Mercer County Airport |
| Location: | Bluefield, West Virginia, United States |
| GPS Coordinates: | 37°17'44"N by 81°12'28"W |
| Area Served: | Bluefield / Princeton, West Virginia |
| Operator/Owner: | Mercer County Airport Authority |
| Airport Type: | Public |
| Elevation: | 2857 feet (871 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 1 |
| View all routes: | Routes from BLF |
| More Information: | BLF Maps & Info |
Facts about Kincheloe Air Force Base (INR):
- On 16 February 1953, the first operational ADC unit, the 534th Air Defense Group was activated at Kinross AFB.
- In the 1950s, the Air Force adopted a policy of dispersing Strategic Air Command bombers and tankers.
- The 438th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron was upgraded again to the F-106 Delta Dart interceptor in June 1960, one of the first ADC squadrons to receive the new interceptor.
- With the outbreak of the Cold War in 1948 and active combat in the Korean War in June, 1950, the United States began building up its defenses.
- The furthest airport from Kincheloe Air Force Base (INR) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,103 miles (17,869 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
- The mission of Kinross AAF was to serve as a refueling stop for aircraft headed for Alaska as well as to defend the locks of Sault Ste.
- In November, 1961, following two years of construction, the 4239th Strategic Wing of the Strategic Air Command arrived with B-52 bombers.
- On 2 February 1959, Strategic Air Command established the 4239th Strategic Wing at Kincheloe AFB, Michigan as part of SAC's plan to disburse its B-52 Stratofortress heavy bombers over a larger number of bases, thus making it more difficult for the Soviet Union to knock out the entire fleet with a surprise first strike.
- The closest airport to Kincheloe Air Force Base (INR) is Chippewa County International Airport (CIU), which is located only 0 mile (0 kilometer) N of INR.
- In October, 1952, the 4685th Air Base Squadron was assigned to the reactivated Kinross AFB.
- The 449th and its subordinate units' mission was to operate at full readiness, and support activities included aircraft and vehicle maintenance, bombing crew and unit training, and air refueling support.
- As a result of the phase down, ADC moved the 438th Fighter Interceptor Squadron to Griffiss AFB, New York.
- The 507th Fighter Wing continued to employ F-106 aircraft at Kincheloe AFB until its inactivation on Sep.
- During World War II, the Soo Locks were considered vital to the war efforts.
Facts about Mercer County Airport (BLF):
- Mercer County Airport (BLF) currently has only 1 runway.
- The furthest airport from Mercer County Airport (BLF) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,493 miles (18,496 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
- Mercer County Airport covers an area of 144 acres at an elevation of 2,857 feet above mean sea level.
- The closest airport to Mercer County Airport (BLF) is New River Valley Airport (PSK), which is located 31 miles (50 kilometers) ESE of BLF.
