Nonstop flight route between Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada and Valence, France:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from YAM to VAF:
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- About this route
- YAM Airport Information
- VAF Airport Information
- Facts about YAM
- Facts about VAF
- Map of Nearest Airports to YAM
- List of Nearest Airports to YAM
- Map of Furthest Airports from YAM
- List of Furthest Airports from YAM
- Map of Nearest Airports to VAF
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- List of Furthest Airports from VAF
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Sault Ste. Marie Airport (YAM), Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada and Valence - Chabeuil Airport (VAF), Valence, France would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,070 miles (or 6,550 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 Sault Ste. Marie Airport and Valence - Chabeuil Airport, 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 Sault Ste. Marie Airport and Valence - Chabeuil Airport. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | YAM / CYAM |
Airport Name: | Sault Ste. Marie Airport |
Location: | Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada |
GPS Coordinates: | 46°29'5"N by 84°30'33"W |
Operator/Owner: | Sault Ste. Marie Airport Development Corporation |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 632 feet (193 meters) |
# of Runways: | 2 |
View all routes: | Routes from YAM |
More Information: | YAM Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | VAF / LFLU |
Airport Names: |
|
Location: | Valence, France |
GPS Coordinates: | 44°54'56"N by 4°58'6"E |
Area Served: | Valence, Drôme, France |
Operator/Owner: | Department of Drôme |
Airport Type: | Public / Military |
Elevation: | 525 feet (160 meters) |
# of Runways: | 3 |
View all routes: | Routes from VAF |
More Information: | VAF Maps & Info |
Facts about Sault Ste. Marie Airport (YAM):
- The Canadian government opened the airport in 1961 and operated it until 1998, when it handed control over to the newly formed Sault Ste.
- The airport hosts the flight-training campus for Sault College as well as the Soo Aviation flying school, resulting in frequent training flights in the vicinity.
- Sault Ste. Marie Airport (YAM) has 2 runways.
- The closest airport to Sault Ste. Marie Airport (YAM) is Chippewa County International Airport (CIU), which is located only 16 miles (26 kilometers) S of YAM.
- The furthest airport from Sault Ste. Marie Airport (YAM) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,093 miles (17,853 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
- Because of Sault Ste. Marie Airport's relatively low elevation of 632 feet, planes can take off or land at Sault Ste. Marie 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.
Facts about Valence - Chabeuil Airport (VAF):
- Used by the French Air Force base after the war, it was closed and today the airport is used for general aviation, with no commercial airline service.
- In addition to being known as "Valence - Chabeuil Airport", other names for VAF include "Advanced Landing Ground (ALG) Y-23" and "Aéroport de Valence - Chabeuil".
- The furthest airport from Valence - Chabeuil Airport (VAF) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is nearly antipodal to Valence - Chabeuil Airport (meaning Valence - Chabeuil Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Chatham Islands), and is located 12,333 miles (19,848 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
- Today the airport is a modern, fully equipped facility with two additional parallel grass runways available for use.
- Because of Valence - Chabeuil Airport's relatively low elevation of 525 feet, planes can take off or land at Valence - Chabeuil 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.
- After the forceful occupation of Vichy France in November 1942 as a result of Case Anton Wehrmacht units moved into the Valence area and the airport came under the control of the Luftwaffe.
- Valence - Chabeuil Airport (VAF) has 3 runways.
- The closest airport to Valence - Chabeuil Airport (VAF) is Grenoble–Isère Airport (GNB), which is located 36 miles (57 kilometers) NNE of VAF.