Nonstop flight route between Istres, France and Steamboat Springs, Colorado, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Istres-Le Tubé Air Base (QIE), Istres, France and Steamboat Springs Airport (SBS), Steamboat Springs, Colorado, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,248 miles (or 8,446 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 Steamboat Springs 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 Istres-Le Tubé Air Base and Steamboat Springs 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 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.
• 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 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.
• Secondary users occasionally include the United States Air Force, during Allied operations engaging United States and France.
• 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".
• On 31 March 1992, a Boeing 707 of Kabo Air, a Nigerian company, made an emergency landing at Istres after engines 3 and 4 had separated from the wing in turbulence at 35,000 feet.
• 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.

Facts about Steamboat Springs Airport (SBS):

• In addition to being known as "Steamboat Springs Airport", another name for SBS is "Bob Adams Field".
• The Civil Air Patrol has an office and aircraft at the airport.
• Steamboat Springs Airport had scheduled passenger flights to Denver on Rocky Mountain Airways 50-passenger de Havilland Canada DHC-7 Dash 7s.
• Because of Steamboat Springs Airport's high elevation of 6,882 feet, planes must typically fly at a faster airspeed in order to takeoff or land at SBS. Combined with a high temperature, this could make SBS a "Hot & High" airport, where the air density is lower than it would otherwise be at sea level.
• The furthest airport from Steamboat Springs Airport (SBS) is Sir Gaëtan Duval Airport (RRG), which is located 10,891 miles (17,527 kilometers) away in Rodrigues Island, Mauritius.
• Steamboat Springs Airport is a city owned airport three miles northwest of Steamboat Springs, in Routt County, Colorado.
• Steamboat Springs Airport (SBS) currently has only 1 runway.
• The closest airport to Steamboat Springs Airport (SBS) is Yampa Valley Airport (HDN), which is located only 19 miles (30 kilometers) W of SBS.