Nonstop flight route between Gambell, Alaska, United States and Shearwater, Nova Scotia, Canada:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from GAM to YAW:
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- About this route
- GAM Airport Information
- YAW Airport Information
- Facts about GAM
- Facts about YAW
- Map of Nearest Airports to GAM
- List of Nearest Airports to GAM
- Map of Furthest Airports from GAM
- List of Furthest Airports from GAM
- Map of Nearest Airports to YAW
- List of Nearest Airports to YAW
- Map of Furthest Airports from YAW
- List of Furthest Airports from YAW
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Gambell Airport (GAM), Gambell, Alaska, United States and Shearwater Heliport (YAW), Shearwater, Nova Scotia, Canada would travel a Great Circle distance of 3,998 miles (or 6,435 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 Gambell Airport and Shearwater Heliport, 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 Gambell Airport and Shearwater Heliport. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure Airport Information:
| IATA / ICAO Codes: | GAM / PAGM |
| Airport Names: |
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| Location: | Gambell, Alaska, United States |
| GPS Coordinates: | 63°46'0"N by 171°43'58"W |
| Area Served: | Gambell, Alaska |
| Operator/Owner: | State of Alaska DOT&PF - Northern Region |
| Airport Type: | Public |
| Elevation: | 27 feet (8 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 1 |
| View all routes: | Routes from GAM |
| More Information: | GAM Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
| IATA / ICAO Codes: | YAW / CYAW |
| Airport Names: |
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| Location: | Shearwater, Nova Scotia, Canada |
| GPS Coordinates: | 44°38'13"N by 63°30'7"W |
| Operator/Owner: | Government of Canada |
| Airport Type: | Military |
| Elevation: | 144 feet (44 meters) |
| View all routes: | Routes from YAW |
| More Information: | YAW Maps & Info |
Facts about Gambell Airport (GAM):
- On 30 August 1975, Wien Air Alaska Flight 99, a Fairchild F-27B on approach to landing, crashed into Sevuokuk Mountain after multiple missed approaches, killing the pilot and co-pilot and eight others out of the 32 crew and passengers on board.
- The furthest airport from Gambell Airport (GAM) is Teniente Rodolfo Marsh Airport (TNM), which is located 10,421 miles (16,771 kilometers) away in Villa Las Estrellas, Antarctica.
- Because of Gambell Airport's relatively low elevation of 27 feet, planes can take off or land at Gambell 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.
- Gambell Airport (GAM) currently has only 1 runway.
- In addition to being known as "Gambell Airport", another name for GAM is "(former Gambell Army Airfield)".
- Gambell Airport is a public airport located in Gambell, a city in the Nome Census Area of the U.S.
- The closest airport to Gambell Airport (GAM) is Savoonga Airport (SVA), which is located 38 miles (62 kilometers) E of GAM.
Facts about Shearwater Heliport (YAW):
- Beginning in the 1970s, CFB Shearwater began hosting an Armed Forces Day every fall, typically on the weekend following Labour Day, and included an air show where the long and wide runways at Shearwater hosted some of the largest aircraft in the world, including the U.S.
- In addition to being known as "Shearwater Heliport", other names for YAW include "Halifax/Shearwater Heliport", "12 Wing Shearwater" and "CFB Shearwater".
- These changes allowed for heliport operations including instrument approaches and were accompanied with the construction of other non-airfield facilities in support of the Maritime Helicopter Project.
- The furthest airport from Shearwater Heliport (YAW) is Albany Airport (ALH), which is located 11,763 miles (18,931 kilometers) away in Albany, Western Australia, Australia.
- Because of Shearwater Heliport's relatively low elevation of 144 feet, planes can take off or land at Shearwater Heliport 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 closest airport to Shearwater Heliport (YAW) is Halifax Stanfield International Airport (YHZ), which is located only 17 miles (27 kilometers) N of YAW.
- Shearwater is the second-oldest military aerodrome in Canada.
- Following a base rationalization program in the mid-1990s, the Canadian Forces closed CFB Shearwater as a separate formation and realigned the property's various facilities into CFB Halifax.
- Organizers of the "Nova Scotia International Air Show" continued to make use the Shearwater airfield for both ground displays and the air show component until 2002.
- The Shearwater Heliport is the location of the headquarters of 12 Wing, whose sole purpose is to support and operate shipborne helicopters for the Royal Canadian Navy.
