Nonstop flight route between Kalamazoo/Battle Creek, Michigan, United States and Shemya, Alaska, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport (AZO), Kalamazoo/Battle Creek, Michigan, United States and Eareckson Air Station (SYA), Shemya, Alaska, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,351 miles (or 7,003 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 Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport 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 Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport and Eareckson Air Station. 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 Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport (AZO):

• The airport has an Air Traffic Control Tower and a Terminal Radar Approach Control.
• Present-day taxiways delta and alpha were originally runways.
• Because of Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport's relatively low elevation of 874 feet, planes can take off or land at Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International 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.
• In 1955 the Kalamazoo-based Upjohn pharmaceutical company began operating aircraft for its executives from the airport.
• The Western Michigan University College of Aviation, founded in 1939, used the Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport as a base for its flight school until 1997.
• Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport (AZO) has 3 runways.
• This continued after the firm was acquired by Pfizer.
• General aviation aircraft are served by many fixed base operators.
• The furthest airport from Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport (AZO) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,180 miles (17,993 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
• The closest airport to Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport (AZO) is W. K. Kellogg Airport (BTL), which is located only 16 miles (26 kilometers) ENE of AZO.
• The original Kalamazoo terminal was a small building made with scrap materials left over from other local projects.

Facts about Eareckson Air Station (SYA):

• It also became a Strategic Air Command refueling site for B-52 Stratofortress bombers and KC-135 tankers as part of Operation Chrome Dome.
• 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.
• With the exception of a small station housekeeping unit, Shemya was abandoned after the war.
• Eareckson Air Station (SYA) currently has only 1 runway.
• With the successful completion of the Aleutian Campaign in August 1943, Eleventh Air Force came within striking distance of the Japanese Kurile Islands, the northernmost being 750 miles to the south-southwest of Shemya.
• The limited resources assigned to the Eleventh Air Force meant only a limited number of missions could be carried out over the Kuriles.
• 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 Korean War brought extensive use by the Military Air Transport Service for the logistical support of Korea and Japan.
• 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.