Nonstop flight route between Istres, France and Port Angeles, Washington, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Istres-Le Tubé Air Base (QIE), Istres, France and William R. Fairchild International AirportPort Angeles Army Airfield (CLM), Port Angeles, Washington, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,374 miles (or 8,648 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 William R. Fairchild International AirportPort Angeles 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 Istres-Le Tubé Air Base and William R. Fairchild International AirportPort Angeles 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 Istres-Le Tubé Air Base (QIE):

• 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.
• Sometime after World War II, until May 1958 Base Aérienne 125 was host to the Royal Air Force Liaison Party, that serviced transient British and Commonwealth military aircraft staging to and from the United Kingdom.
• Secondary users occasionally include the United States Air Force, during Allied operations engaging United States and France.
• Istres-Le Tubé Air Base (QIE) currently has only 1 runway.
• 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.
• The main USAAF use of Istres was by the 64th Troop Carrier Group, which operated C-47 Skytrain transports from the airfield from September to November 1944.
• 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.
• 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".
• The base also hosts a helicopter squadron and a large repair and training facility.

Facts about William R. Fairchild International AirportPort Angeles Army Airfield (CLM):

• William R. Fairchild International AirportPort Angeles Army Airfield (CLM) has 2 runways.
• Fairchild Airport is also home to Port Angeles' Civil Air Patrol squadron.
• Because of William R. Fairchild International AirportPort Angeles Army Airfield's relatively low elevation of 291 feet, planes can take off or land at William R. Fairchild International AirportPort Angeles Army Airfield 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 William R. Fairchild International AirportPort Angeles Army Airfield (CLM) is CGAS Port Angeles (NOW), which is located only 4 miles (7 kilometers) ENE of CLM.
• The furthest airport from William R. Fairchild International AirportPort Angeles Army Airfield (CLM) is Tôlanaro Airport (FTU), which is located 10,759 miles (17,316 kilometers) away in Tôlanaro, Madagascar.