Nonstop flight route between Abbeville, France and Santa Ana, California, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Aerodrome Abbeville (XAB), Abbeville, France and MCAS El Toro (NZJ), Santa Ana, California, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,572 miles (or 8,967 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 Aerodrome Abbeville and MCAS El Toro, 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 Aerodrome Abbeville and MCAS El Toro. 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 Aerodrome Abbeville (XAB):

• Aerodrome Abbeville (XAB) has 3 runways.
• In addition to being known as "Aerodrome Abbeville", other names for XAB include "Aérodrome d'Abbeville - Buigny-Saint-Maclou" and "Advanced Landing Ground (ALG) B-92".
• Abbeville was liberated by Polish troops around 3 September 1944.
• It was sized by the Luftwaffe and became a German Fliegerhorst.
• The closest airport to Aerodrome Abbeville (XAB) is Le Touquet - Côte d'Opale Airport (LTQ), which is located 27 miles (44 kilometers) NNW of XAB.
• No scheduled commercial air service at this time.
• The furthest airport from Aerodrome Abbeville (XAB) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is located 11,992 miles (19,299 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
• It is not known when exactly the airfield was built, but it was in use with the British Expeditionary Forces in 1940.
• Because of Aerodrome Abbeville's relatively low elevation of 220 feet, planes can take off or land at Aerodrome Abbeville 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.

Facts about MCAS El Toro (NZJ):

• MCAS El Toro (NZJ) has 5 runways.
• Because of MCAS El Toro's relatively low elevation of 383 feet, planes can take off or land at MCAS El Toro 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 MCAS El Toro (NZJ) is John Wayne Airport (SNA), which is located only 8 miles (13 kilometers) W of NZJ.
• Before it was decommissioned in 1999, it was the 4,682 acres home of Marine Corps aviation on the West Coast.
• Already the largest Marine air station on the West Coast, in 1944, funds were approved to double its size and operations.
• The furthest airport from MCAS El Toro (NZJ) is Pierrefonds Airport (ZSE), which is located 11,486 miles (18,486 kilometers) away in Saint-Pierre, Réunion.
• The Department of the Navy hired the General Services Administration and Los Angeles-based Colliers International to assist in the sale of MCAS El Toro.
• The closing of MCAS El Toro ignited a political firestorm over the eventual fate of the facility.