Nonstop flight route between Cape Palmas, Liberia and Shemya, Alaska, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Cape Palmas Airport (CPA), Cape Palmas, Liberia and Eareckson Air Station (SYA), Shemya, Alaska, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 8,491 miles (or 13,664 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 Cape Palmas 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 Cape Palmas 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 Cape Palmas Airport (CPA):

• The closest airport to Cape Palmas Airport (CPA) is Sasstown Airport (SAZ), which is located 54 miles (88 kilometers) WNW of CPA.
• Because of Cape Palmas Airport's relatively low elevation of 20 feet, planes can take off or land at Cape Palmas 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.
• Cape Palmas Airport (CPA) currently has only 1 runway.
• The furthest airport from Cape Palmas Airport (CPA) is Aranuka Airport (AAK), which is nearly antipodal to Cape Palmas Airport (meaning Cape Palmas Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Aranuka Airport), and is located 12,108 miles (19,486 kilometers) away in Aranuka, Kiribati.

Facts about Eareckson Air Station (SYA):

• 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 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.
• By the end of 1944, several hundred American airmen had been interned by the Russians after their crippled aircraft landed on Petropavlovsk on the Kamchatka Peninsula.
• 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.
• There is also an NDB, TACAN and a VOR on the island.
• Eareckson Air Station (SYA) currently has only 1 runway.
• In 1966 the Air Defense Command 9th Air Division assumed jurisdiction of the base.
• On 10 July 1943, eight B-25 Mitchells from the 77th Bombardment Squadron left Adak AAF and refueled at Alexai Point AAF on Attu.
• In addition to being known as "Eareckson Air Station", other names for SYA include "Shemya Air Force Base", "Shemya Army Airfield" and "  ".
• Shemya also continued to support the Great Circle Route for MATS and later Military Airlift Command transports between Japan and Elmendorf AFB.