Nonstop flight route between Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, United States and Meribel, France:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Kincheloe Air Force Base (INR), Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, United States and Méribel Airport (MFX), Meribel, France would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,120 miles (or 6,631 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 Kincheloe Air Force Base and Méribel 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 Kincheloe Air Force Base and Méribel Airport. 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 Kincheloe Air Force Base (INR):

• 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 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.
• Flying out of Kinross in 1953, pilot Felix Moncla and his plane disappeared while pursuing a UFO over the Soo Locks and Lake Superior.
• Portions of the base had already been transferred to local authorities, and following the deactivation all the remaining property was transferred, although the federal government reserved the right to have exclusive or non-exclusive use of the airport facilities during a declared national emergency.
• In October, 1952, the 4685th Air Base Squadron was assigned to the reactivated Kinross AFB.
• In the 1950s, the Air Force adopted a policy of dispersing Strategic Air Command bombers and tankers.
• 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.
• 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.

Facts about Méribel Airport (MFX):

• Méribel Airport (MFX) currently has only 1 runway.
• Because of Méribel Airport's high elevation of 5,633 feet, planes must typically fly at a faster airspeed in order to takeoff or land at MFX. Combined with a high temperature, this could make MFX a "Hot & High" airport, where the air density is lower than it would otherwise be at sea level.
• The closest airport to Méribel Airport (MFX) is Courchevel Airport (CVF), which is located only 3 miles (5 kilometers) ESE of MFX.
• The furthest airport from Méribel Airport (MFX) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is nearly antipodal to Méribel Airport (meaning Méribel Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Chatham Islands), and is located 12,251 miles (19,716 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
• In addition to being known as "Méribel Airport", another name for MFX is "Aéroport de Méribel".