Nonstop flight route between Cherokee, Oklahoma, United States and Shemya, Alaska, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Kegelman Air Force Auxiliary Field (CKA), Cherokee, Oklahoma, United States and Eareckson Air Station (SYA), Shemya, Alaska, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,169 miles (or 6,709 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 Kegelman Air Force Auxiliary Field 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 Kegelman Air Force Auxiliary Field 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 Kegelman Air Force Auxiliary Field (CKA):

• The closest airport to Kegelman Air Force Auxiliary Field (CKA) is Anthony Municipal Airport (ANY), which is located 29 miles (47 kilometers) N of CKA.
• The furthest airport from Kegelman Air Force Auxiliary Field (CKA) is Sir Gaëtan Duval Airport (RRG), which is located 10,816 miles (17,407 kilometers) away in Rodrigues Island, Mauritius.
• Kegelman Air Force Auxiliary Field (CKA) currently has only 1 runway.
• The installation was first known as the Great Salt Plains Auxiliary Field, but was renamed Kegelman in 1949.
• Vance AFB student pilots and instructor pilots use the airfield to practice landings in T-6A Texan II aircraft, and refer to the field with the callsign "Dogface".

Facts about Eareckson Air Station (SYA):

• Shemya also continued to support the Great Circle Route for MATS and later Military Airlift Command transports between Japan and Elmendorf AFB.
• In July 1973, Raytheon won a contract to build a system called COBRA DANE on Shemya.
• The news of the surrender of the Japanese was met with enthusiasm, the biggest topic was "When do we go home?".
• 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.
• Eareckson Air Station (SYA) currently has only 1 runway.
• 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 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 404th Bombardment Squadron flew B-24 Liberator heavy bombers along with one Beechcraft AT-7, which was used for navigator training.
• 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.
• In addition to being known as "Eareckson Air Station", other names for SYA include "Shemya Air Force Base", "Shemya Army Airfield" and "  ".