Nonstop flight route between Chaitén, Los Lagos, Chile and Shemya, Alaska, United States:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from WCH to SYA:
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- About this route
- WCH Airport Information
- SYA Airport Information
- Facts about WCH
- Facts about SYA
- Map of Nearest Airports to WCH
- List of Nearest Airports to WCH
- Map of Furthest Airports from WCH
- List of Furthest Airports from WCH
- Map of Nearest Airports to SYA
- List of Nearest Airports to SYA
- Map of Furthest Airports from SYA
- List of Furthest Airports from SYA
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Chaitén Airfield (WCH), Chaitén, Los Lagos, Chile and Eareckson Air Station (SYA), Shemya, Alaska, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 9,381 miles (or 15,097 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 Chaitén Airfield and Eareckson Air Station, 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 Chaitén Airfield and Eareckson Air Station. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | WCH / SCTN |
Airport Names: |
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Location: | Chaitén, Los Lagos, Chile |
GPS Coordinates: | 42°55'57"S by 72°41'58"W |
Area Served: | Chaitén |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 13 feet (4 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from WCH |
More Information: | WCH Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | SYA / PASY |
Airport Names: |
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Location: | Shemya, Alaska, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 52°42'43"N by 174°6'48"E |
Operator/Owner: | U.S. Air Force |
Airport Type: | Military |
Elevation: | 97 feet (30 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from SYA |
More Information: | SYA Maps & Info |
Facts about Chaitén Airfield (WCH):
- The closest airport to Chaitén Airfield (WCH) is Gamboa Airport (WCA), which is located 63 miles (101 kilometers) WNW of WCH.
- Chaitén Airfield (WCH) currently has only 1 runway.
- The furthest airport from Chaitén Airfield (WCH) is Mandalgovi Airport (MXW), which is nearly antipodal to Chaitén Airfield (meaning Chaitén Airfield is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Mandalgovi Airport), and is located 12,235 miles (19,690 kilometers) away in Mandalgovi, Dundgovi, Mongolia.
- In addition to being known as "Chaitén Airfield", other names for WCH include "Chaitén Airfield (Chaitén)" and "Aeródromo Chaitén".
- Because of Chaitén Airfield's relatively low elevation of 13 feet, planes can take off or land at Chaitén Airfield 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 Eareckson Air Station (SYA):
- The furthest airport from Eareckson Air Station (SYA) is Cape Town International Airport (CPT), which is located 10,668 miles (17,168 kilometers) away in Cape Town, South Africa.
- In addition to being known as "Eareckson Air Station", other names for SYA include "Shemya Air Force Base", "Shemya Army Airfield" and " ".
- The closest airport to Eareckson Air Station (SYA) is Casco Cove Coast Guard Station (ATU), which is located 40 miles (65 kilometers) WNW of SYA.
- On 28 May 1943, a small detachment of Alaskan Scouts began reconnaissance of Shemya, a small, flat, uninhabited island 35 miles to the east of Attu.
- By August, Eleventh Air Force B-24s were carrying out successful and accurate attacks on the Japanese military installations and the B-25s were successful in driving the Japanese fishing and much of the shipping out of the North Pacific.
- Because of Eareckson Air Station's relatively low elevation of 97 feet, planes can take off or land at Eareckson Air Station 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.
- A second attack by B-24 Liberators was launched from Alexai Point and Shemya on 18 July.
- Eareckson Air Station (SYA) currently has only 1 runway.
- The aerial photos taken on the raid showed the Japanese were building up forces in the area, transferring aircraft presumably from air bases on Hokkaido.
- It also became a Strategic Air Command refueling site for B-52 Stratofortress bombers and KC-135 tankers as part of Operation Chrome Dome.