Nonstop flight route between Istres, France and Sikeston, Missouri, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Istres-Le Tubé Air Base (QIE), Istres, France and Sikeston Memorial Municipal AirportHarvey Parks Army Airfield (SIK), Sikeston, Missouri, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,727 miles (or 7,607 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 Sikeston Memorial Municipal AirportHarvey Parks 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 Sikeston Memorial Municipal AirportHarvey Parks 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):

• C135FR "GRV 093 Bretagne"
• Istres-Le Tubé Air Base (QIE) currently has only 1 runway.
• 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.
• 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".
• With the end of the war, the Americans used Istres as a staging point between Occupied Germany and Morocco for air transport of personnel back to the United States.
• 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.

Facts about Sikeston Memorial Municipal AirportHarvey Parks Army Airfield (SIK):

• The furthest airport from Sikeston Memorial Municipal AirportHarvey Parks Army Airfield (SIK) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,037 miles (17,762 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
• Sikeston Memorial Municipal Airport is a city owned, public use airport located two nautical miles northeast of the central business district of Sikeston, in Scott County, Missouri, United States.
• The closest airport to Sikeston Memorial Municipal AirportHarvey Parks Army Airfield (SIK) is Cape Girardeau Regional Airport (CGI), which is located 23 miles (36 kilometers) N of SIK.
• Because of Sikeston Memorial Municipal AirportHarvey Parks Army Airfield's relatively low elevation of 315 feet, planes can take off or land at Sikeston Memorial Municipal AirportHarvey Parks 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.
• Inactivated on October 16, 1944 with the drawdown of AAFTC's pilot training program.
• Sikeston Memorial Municipal AirportHarvey Parks Army Airfield (SIK) currently has only 1 runway.
• Opened in April 1940 as Harvey Parks Airport with 6,600 by 5,280 feet open turf field.
• Fighter pilot Robert S.