Nonstop flight route between Warton, Lancashire, England, United Kingdom and Istres, France:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Warton Aerodrome (WRT), Warton, Lancashire, England, United Kingdom and Istres-Le Tubé Air Base (QIE), Istres, France would travel a Great Circle distance of 790 miles (or 1,272 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 relatively short distance between Warton Aerodrome and Istres-Le Tubé Air Base, the route shown on this map most likely still appears to be a straight line.

Departure Airport Information:

Arrival Airport Information:

Facts about Warton Aerodrome (WRT):

• The site is not open to the public, although limited areas are made accessible during Open Days which the company holds for the families and friends of employees and local residents.
• In June 2010 The Sun reported that poisonous red back spiders had been discovered in a consignment of parts from Australia.
• The closest airport to Warton Aerodrome (WRT) is Blackpool International Airport (BLK), which is located only 6 miles (10 kilometers) WNW of WRT.
• In 1940 new runways were built at Warton so that it could act as a "satellite" airfield for the RAF Coastal Command station at Squires Gate airfield in Blackpool.
• With the merger of English Electric Aviation and the other aircraft divisions of the major British manufacturers in 1960, it became a British Aircraft Corporation site.
• Warton Aerodrome (WRT) currently has only 1 runway.
• Since November 1994, the Lancashire Constabulary has operated a Eurocopter AS355 helicopter from Warton.
• Today the airfield is a major assembly and testing facility of BAE Systems Military Air & Information.
• Because of Warton Aerodrome's relatively low elevation of 55 feet, planes can take off or land at Warton Aerodrome 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 Warton Aerodrome (WRT) is Ryan's Creek Aerodrome (SZS), which is located 11,820 miles (19,022 kilometers) away in Stewart Island, New Zealand.
• It then became a Royal Air Force station.

Facts about Istres-Le Tubé Air Base (QIE):

• Mirage 2000 "escadron Limousin"
• 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.
• Sometime after World War II, until May 1958 Base Aérienne 125 was host to the Royal Air Force Liaison Party, that serviced transient British and Commonwealth military aircraft staging to and from the United Kingdom.
• 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".
• 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.
• Istres-Le Tubé Air Base (QIE) currently has only 1 runway.
• The base also hosts a helicopter squadron and a large repair and training facility.
• 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.
• 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.