Nonstop flight route between Bau-Bau, Buton, Indonesia and Shemya, Alaska, United States:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from BUW to SYA:
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- About this route
- BUW Airport Information
- SYA Airport Information
- Facts about BUW
- Facts about SYA
- Map of Nearest Airports to BUW
- List of Nearest Airports to BUW
- Map of Furthest Airports from BUW
- List of Furthest Airports from BUW
- 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 Betoambari Airport (BUW), Bau-Bau, Buton, Indonesia and Eareckson Air Station (SYA), Shemya, Alaska, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,017 miles (or 8,073 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 Betoambari 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 Betoambari 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:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | BUW / WAWB |
Airport Names: |
|
Location: | Bau-Bau, Buton, Indonesia |
GPS Coordinates: | 5°29'16"S by 122°34'5"E |
Area Served: | Bau-Bau |
Operator/Owner: | Government |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 105 feet (32 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from BUW |
More Information: | BUW Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | SYA / PASY |
Airport Names: |
|
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 Betoambari Airport (BUW):
- The closest airport to Betoambari Airport (BUW) is Haluoleo Airport (WMA) (KDI), which is located 98 miles (157 kilometers) N of BUW.
- Because of Betoambari Airport's relatively low elevation of 105 feet, planes can take off or land at Betoambari 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.
- Betoambari Airport (BUW) currently has only 1 runway.
- The furthest airport from Betoambari Airport (BUW) is Washabo Airstrip (WSO), which is nearly antipodal to Betoambari Airport (meaning Betoambari Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Washabo Airstrip), and is located 12,413 miles (19,976 kilometers) away in Washabo, Suriname.
- In addition to being known as "Betoambari Airport", another name for BUW is "Bandara Betoambari".
Facts about Eareckson Air Station (SYA):
- Eareckson Air Station (SYA) currently has only 1 runway.
- There is also an NDB, TACAN and a VOR on the island.
- 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.
- Shemya also continued to support the Great Circle Route for MATS and later Military Airlift Command transports between Japan and Elmendorf AFB.
- After the disastrous attack, the focus of Eleventh Air Force was shifted to a defensive posture in the event of retaliatory attacks from the Japanese.
- 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 base host squadron was re-designated the 5073rd Air Base Squadron on October 1962, and upgraded to a group on 15 October 1974 in recognition of the number and complexities of the tenant units it supported.
- In addition to being known as "Eareckson Air Station", other names for SYA include "Shemya Air Force Base", "Shemya Army Airfield" and " ".
- 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.
- 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.
- The limited resources assigned to the Eleventh Air Force meant only a limited number of missions could be carried out over the Kuriles.
- 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.
- The Korean War brought extensive use by the Military Air Transport Service for the logistical support of Korea and Japan.