Nonstop flight route between Virac, Catanduanes, Philippines and Big Spring, Texas, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Virac Airport (VRC), Virac, Catanduanes, Philippines and Webb Air Force Base Big Spring Army Airfield (BGS), Big Spring, Texas, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 8,062 miles (or 12,974 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 Virac 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 Virac 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 Virac Airport (VRC):

• Virac Airport handled 30,002 passengers last year.
• In addition to being known as "Virac Airport", another name for VRC is "Paliparan ng ViracPalayogan nin Virac".
• Because of Virac Airport's relatively low elevation of 121 feet, planes can take off or land at Virac 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.
• The closest airport to Virac Airport (VRC) is Legazpi Airport (LGP), which is located 42 miles (68 kilometers) SW of VRC.
• The furthest airport from Virac Airport (VRC) is Marechal Rondon International Airport (CGB), which is nearly antipodal to Virac Airport (meaning Virac Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Marechal Rondon International Airport), and is located 12,292 miles (19,782 kilometers) away in Cuiabá, Mato Grosso, Brazil.
• Virac Airport (VRC) currently has only 1 runway.

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

• 78th Flying Training Wing
• In 1956, the Air Defense Command 331st Fighter-Interceptor Squadron was transferred to Webb from Stewart Air Force Base in New York to defend the southern United States border on air intercept missions as part of the Central Air Defense Force.
• By 1960, the consolidated pilot training program meant the consolidation of preflight, primary, and basic instruction into one school.
• 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.
• 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.
• Instruction of the first class began in April 1952.
• Activated on 26 June 1942, the mission of Big Spring AAF was to train aviation cadets in high altitude precision bombing as bombardiers.
• 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.
• 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.