Nonstop flight route between Changzhi, Shanxi, China and Shemya, Alaska, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Changzhi Wangcun Airport (CIH), Changzhi, Shanxi, China and Eareckson Air Station (SYA), Shemya, Alaska, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 3,108 miles (or 5,001 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 Changzhi Wangcun 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 Changzhi Wangcun 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 Changzhi Wangcun Airport (CIH):

• The closest airport to Changzhi Wangcun Airport (CIH) is Handan Airport (HDG), which is located 75 miles (121 kilometers) ENE of CIH.
• The furthest airport from Changzhi Wangcun Airport (CIH) is Colonia Catriel Airport (CCT), which is nearly antipodal to Changzhi Wangcun Airport (meaning Changzhi Wangcun Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Colonia Catriel Airport), and is located 12,310 miles (19,811 kilometers) away in Colonia Catriel, Río Negro, Argentina.
• Changzhi Wangcun Airport (CIH) currently has only 1 runway.
• In addition to being known as "Changzhi Wangcun Airport", other names for CIH include "长治王村机场" and "Changzhi Wangcun Jīchǎng".

Facts about Eareckson Air Station (SYA):

• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• In August, after the Soviet Union declared war against the Japanese Empire, B-24s were dispatched on reconnaissance and intelligence-gathering missions to observe the Russian activity in the Kuriles.
• 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 news of the surrender of the Japanese was met with enthusiasm, the biggest topic was "When do we go home?".
• In addition to being known as "Eareckson Air Station", other names for SYA include "Shemya Air Force Base", "Shemya Army Airfield" and "  ".
• The mission of Eleventh Air Force was to take advantage of the new airfields on Shemya and Attu, and carry out offensive operations against the enemy forces in the Kuriles.
• 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.