Nonstop flight route between Arras / Roclincourt, France and Big Spring, Texas, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Arras - Roclincourt Airport (QRV), Arras / Roclincourt, France and Webb Air Force Base Big Spring Army Airfield (BGS), Big Spring, Texas, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,109 miles (or 8,221 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 Arras - Roclincourt Airport and Webb Air Force Base Big Spring 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 Arras - Roclincourt Airport and Webb Air Force Base Big Spring 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 Arras - Roclincourt Airport (QRV):

• Because of Arras - Roclincourt Airport's relatively low elevation of 337 feet, planes can take off or land at Arras - Roclincourt Airport 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 "Arras - Roclincourt Airport", another name for QRV is "Aéroport d'Arras - Roclincourt".
• Arras - Roclincourt Airport (QRV) currently has only 1 runway.
• The furthest airport from Arras - Roclincourt Airport (QRV) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is located 11,985 miles (19,289 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
• The closest airport to Arras - Roclincourt Airport (QRV) is Lille Airport (LIL), which is located 21 miles (33 kilometers) NE of QRV.

Facts about Webb Air Force Base Big Spring Army Airfield (BGS):

• The closest airport to Webb Air Force Base Big Spring Army Airfield (BGS) is Midland Airpark (MDD), which is located 36 miles (58 kilometers) WSW of BGS.
• 331st Fighter-Interceptor Squadron
• Perhaps the most dominant feature on the ATC landscape in 1974 was the serious fuel shortage the command had to contend with for much of the year.
• At that time, nearly 6,000 students had graduated and the field's training aircraft had flown approximately 400,000 hours and more than 60 million miles.
• Instruction of the first class began in April 1952.
• At Webb AFB, the last two pilot training classes completed course work on 30 August 1977, and fixed wing qualification training ended on 1 September 1977.
• The AT-11 which was activated to replace the separate air and ground units.
• The base was declared surplus and was turned over to the War Assets Administration after being closed.
• The airfield was activated as Big Spring Air Force Base on 1 October 1951 by the United States Air Force Air Training Command and established the 3560th Pilot Training Wing.
• The furthest airport from Webb Air Force Base Big Spring Army Airfield (BGS) is Sir Gaëtan Duval Airport (RRG), which is located 11,166 miles (17,969 kilometers) away in Rodrigues Island, Mauritius.
• By the mid-1970s, the end of the Vietnam War, the associated financial costs of that conflict and related cuts in USAF force structure and future defense budgets meant a marked decrease in the need for Air Force pilots.