Nonstop flight route between Istres, France and Amook Bay, Alaska, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Istres-Le Tubé Air Base (QIE), Istres, France and Amook Bay Seaplane Base (AOS), Amook Bay, Alaska, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,352 miles (or 8,612 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 Istres-Le Tubé Air Base and Amook Bay Seaplane 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 Istres-Le Tubé Air Base and Amook Bay Seaplane 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 Istres-Le Tubé Air Base (QIE):

• Because of Istres-Le Tubé Air Base's relatively low elevation of 162 feet, planes can take off or land at Istres-Le Tubé 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.
• In addition to being known as "Istres-Le Tubé Air Base", another name for QIE is "Base aérienne 125 Istres (BA 125)Advanced Landing Ground (ALG) Y-17".
• Istres-Le Tubé Air Base (QIE) currently has only 1 runway.
• The airfield was designated by the Americans as Istres/Le Tubé Airfield or Advanced Landing Ground Y-17.
• The closest airport to Istres-Le Tubé Air Base (QIE) is Marseille Provence Airport (MRS), which is located only 15 miles (24 kilometers) ESE of QIE.
• C135FR "GRV 093 Bretagne"
• The furthest airport from Istres-Le Tubé Air Base (QIE) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is nearly antipodal to Istres-Le Tubé Air Base (meaning Istres-Le Tubé Air Base is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Chatham Islands), and is located 12,364 miles (19,898 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
• The base also hosts a helicopter squadron and a large repair and training facility.

Facts about Amook Bay Seaplane Base (AOS):

• Amook Bay Seaplane Base is a privately owned seaplane base located in Amook Bay, a community in the Kodiak Island Borough of the U.S.
• The furthest airport from Amook Bay Seaplane Base (AOS) is Port Elizabeth International Airport (PLZ), which is located 10,814 miles (17,403 kilometers) away in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
• Amook Bay Seaplane Base (AOS) currently has only 1 runway.
• Because of Amook Bay Seaplane Base's relatively low elevation of 0 feet, planes can take off or land at Amook Bay Seaplane 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 closest airport to Amook Bay Seaplane Base (AOS) is Zachar Bay Seaplane Base (KZB), which is located only 6 miles (10 kilometers) NNE of AOS.
• In addition to being known as "Amook Bay Seaplane Base", another name for AOS is "AK81".
• Although classified by the FAA as "private use", Amook Bay has scheduled passenger service to Kodiak, Alaska, which is subsidized by the United States Department of Transportation via the Essential Air Service program.