Nonstop flight route between Vatry, France and Fort Bliss, El Paso, Texas, United States:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from XCR to BIF:
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- About this route
- XCR Airport Information
- BIF Airport Information
- Facts about XCR
- Facts about BIF
- Map of Nearest Airports to XCR
- List of Nearest Airports to XCR
- Map of Furthest Airports from XCR
- List of Furthest Airports from XCR
- Map of Nearest Airports to BIF
- List of Nearest Airports to BIF
- Map of Furthest Airports from BIF
- List of Furthest Airports from BIF
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Châlons Vatry Airport (XCR), Vatry, France and Biggs Army Airfield (BIF), Fort Bliss, El Paso, Texas, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,421 miles (or 8,724 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 Châlons Vatry Airport and Biggs 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 Châlons Vatry Airport and Biggs Army Airfield. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | XCR / LFOK |
Airport Name: | Châlons Vatry Airport |
Location: | Vatry, France |
GPS Coordinates: | 48°46'23"N by 4°12'21"E |
Area Served: | Châlons-en-Champagne |
Operator/Owner: | Société d'Exploitation Vatry Europort (SEVE) |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 586 feet (179 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from XCR |
More Information: | XCR Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | BIF / KBIF |
Airport Names: |
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Location: | Fort Bliss, El Paso, Texas, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 31°50'57"N by 106°22'47"W |
Operator/Owner: | U.S. Army ATCA-ASO |
Airport Type: | Military |
Elevation: | 3946 feet (1,203 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from BIF |
More Information: | BIF Maps & Info |
Facts about Châlons Vatry Airport (XCR):
- For many years, Vatry Air Base was under the control of the French Air Force and used for a training facility.
- Construction began in 1953, and Vatry Air Base was designed for 50 fighters with three large hangars constructed.
- Châlons Vatry Airport (XCR) currently has only 1 runway.
- Because of Châlons Vatry Airport's relatively low elevation of 586 feet, planes can take off or land at Châlons Vatry 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 furthest airport from Châlons Vatry Airport (XCR) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is nearly antipodal to Châlons Vatry Airport (meaning Châlons Vatry Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Chatham Islands), and is located 12,092 miles (19,461 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
- Châlons Vatry Airport is an airport serving Châlons-en-Champagne in northeastern France.
- The closest airport to Châlons Vatry Airport (XCR) is Troyes - Barberey Airport (QYR), which is located 32 miles (52 kilometers) SSW of XCR.
Facts about Biggs Army Airfield (BIF):
- In 1920 Camp Owen Bierne opened on the site of the current airbase as a base for airship operations but the units were soon disbanded.
- Prior to the takeover of Biggs by SAC in October 1948, it had previously moved the B-29 Superfortress-equipped 97th Bombardment Group to the base in May.
- The furthest airport from Biggs Army Airfield (BIF) is Sir Gaëtan Duval Airport (RRG), which is located 11,387 miles (18,325 kilometers) away in Rodrigues Island, Mauritius.
- In addition to being known as "Biggs Army Airfield", another name for BIF is "Biggs Air Force BaseBiggs Field".
- The closest airport to Biggs Army Airfield (BIF) is El Paso International Airport (ELP), which is located only 3 miles (5 kilometers) S of BIF.
- Biggs Army Airfield (BIF) currently has only 1 runway.
- In 1958, the ability of the B-47 to penetrate Soviet airspace became compromised by improvements to the Soviet air defense system.
- After World War II, B-29 Superfortress personnel replacement training ended in October.
- What is now Biggs Army Airfield started life in 1915 as an encampment at Fort Bliss, Texas for the 82d Field Artillery.
- The 97th operated B-29s from Biggs, and participated in numerous exercises, operational readiness inspections, and overseas deployments.