Nonstop flight route between Van, Turkey and Selma, Alabama, United States:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from VAN to SEM:
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- About this route
- VAN Airport Information
- SEM Airport Information
- Facts about VAN
- Facts about SEM
- Map of Nearest Airports to VAN
- List of Nearest Airports to VAN
- Map of Furthest Airports from VAN
- List of Furthest Airports from VAN
- Map of Nearest Airports to SEM
- List of Nearest Airports to SEM
- Map of Furthest Airports from SEM
- List of Furthest Airports from SEM
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Van Ferit Melen Airport (VAN), Van, Turkey and Craig Field (SEM), Selma, Alabama, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 6,596 miles (or 10,615 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 Van Ferit Melen Airport and Craig Field, 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 Van Ferit Melen Airport and Craig Field. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | VAN / LTCI |
Airport Names: |
|
Location: | Van, Turkey |
GPS Coordinates: | 38°28'5"N by 43°19'55"E |
Area Served: | Van |
Operator/Owner: | Turkish Government Airport Management |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 5480 feet (1,670 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from VAN |
More Information: | VAN Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | SEM / KSEM |
Airport Name: | Craig Field |
Location: | Selma, Alabama, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 32°20'38"N by 86°59'16"W |
Area Served: | Selma, Alabama |
Operator/Owner: | Craig Field Airport & Industrial Authority |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 166 feet (51 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from SEM |
More Information: | SEM Maps & Info |
Facts about Van Ferit Melen Airport (VAN):
- The closest airport to Van Ferit Melen Airport (VAN) is Agri Airport (AJI), which is located 84 miles (134 kilometers) N of VAN.
- Because of Van Ferit Melen Airport's high elevation of 5,480 feet, planes must typically fly at a faster airspeed in order to takeoff or land at VAN. Combined with a high temperature, this could make VAN a "Hot & High" airport, where the air density is lower than it would otherwise be at sea level.
- The furthest airport from Van Ferit Melen Airport (VAN) is Totegegie Airport (GMR), which is located 11,369 miles (18,296 kilometers) away in Mangareva, Gambier Islands, French Polynesia.
- In addition to being known as "Van Ferit Melen Airport", another name for VAN is "Ferit Melen Havaalanı".
- Van Ferit Melen Airport (VAN) currently has only 1 runway.
Facts about Craig Field (SEM):
- Because of Craig Field's relatively low elevation of 166 feet, planes can take off or land at Craig Field 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 Craig Field (SEM) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,157 miles (17,955 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
- Although the former USAF air traffic control tower at Craig Field remains standing, as of 2007 it was unmanned and non-operational, with UNICOM being used as a common traffic advisory frequency.
- Craig Field (SEM) currently has only 1 runway.
- The closest airport to Craig Field (SEM) is Montgomery Regional Airport (MGM), which is located 35 miles (56 kilometers) E of SEM.
- The former military family housing was sold to individual owners shortly after base closure and has seen significant decay as compared to its previous military occupants.