Nonstop flight route between Istres, France and Mayport, Florida, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Istres-Le Tubé Air Base (QIE), Istres, France and Naval Station Mayport (NRB), Mayport, Florida, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,641 miles (or 7,469 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 Naval Station Mayport, 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 Naval Station Mayport. 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 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.
• Built prior to World War II, Istres Air Base was first used by the Armée de l'air during the early part of the war, and after the 1940 Battle of France and the June Armistice with Nazi Germany, became part of the limited air force of the Vichy Government.
• 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 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.
• 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 base also hosts a helicopter squadron and a large repair and training facility.
• 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.
• Istres-Le Tubé Air Base (QIE) currently has only 1 runway.

Facts about Naval Station Mayport (NRB):

• Naval Station Mayport (NRB) currently has only 1 runway.
• The closest airport to Naval Station Mayport (NRB) is Jacksonville Executive at Craig Airport (CRG), which is located only 7 miles (11 kilometers) SW of NRB.
• On 1 April 1944, the air facility at Mayport was commissioned a Naval Auxiliary Air Station Mayport.
• In addition to being known as "Naval Station Mayport", another name for NRB is "Admiral David L. McDonald Field".
• Because of Naval Station Mayport's relatively low elevation of 15 feet, planes can take off or land at Naval Station Mayport 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.
• A 2013 report from the USN revealed that they are considering basing as many as 14 Littoral combat ships at Mayport.
• The furthest airport from Naval Station Mayport (NRB) is Shark Bay Airport (MJK), which is located 11,472 miles (18,463 kilometers) away in Monkey Mia, Western Australia, Australia.
• The base has historically served as the homeport to various conventionally powered aircraft carriers of the Atlantic Fleet, including the Shangri-La, Franklin D.