Nonstop flight route between Magdagachi, Russia and Shemya, Alaska, United States:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from GDG to SYA:
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- About this route
- GDG Airport Information
- SYA Airport Information
- Facts about GDG
- Facts about SYA
- Map of Nearest Airports to GDG
- List of Nearest Airports to GDG
- Map of Furthest Airports from GDG
- List of Furthest Airports from GDG
- 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 Magdagachi (GDG), Magdagachi, Russia and Eareckson Air Station (SYA), Shemya, Alaska, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 1,967 miles (or 3,165 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 relatively short distance between Magdagachi and Eareckson Air Station, the route shown on this map most likely still appears to be a straight line.
Departure Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | GDG / UHBI |
Airport Name: | Magdagachi |
Location: | Magdagachi, Russia |
GPS Coordinates: | 53°28'0"N by 125°47'59"E |
Operator/Owner: | Russian Army |
Airport Type: | Military |
Elevation: | 1211 feet (369 meters) |
View all routes: | Routes from GDG |
More Information: | GDG 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 Magdagachi (GDG):
- The furthest airport from Magdagachi (GDG) is Port Stanley Airport (PSY), which is nearly antipodal to Magdagachi (meaning Magdagachi is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Port Stanley Airport), and is located 12,243 miles (19,703 kilometers) away in Stanley, Falkland Islands, United Kingdom.
- The closest airport to Magdagachi (GDG) is Tynda Sigikta (TYD), which is located 132 miles (213 kilometers) NNW of GDG.
Facts about Eareckson Air Station (SYA):
- 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.
- In addition to being known as "Eareckson Air Station", other names for SYA include "Shemya Air Force Base", "Shemya Army Airfield" and " ".
- The 404th Bombardment Squadron flew B-24 Liberator heavy bombers along with one Beechcraft AT-7, which was used for navigator training.
- 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.
- On 10 July 1943, eight B-25 Mitchells from the 77th Bombardment Squadron left Adak AAF and refueled at Alexai Point AAF on Attu.
- The limited resources assigned to the Eleventh Air Force meant only a limited number of missions could be carried out over the Kuriles.
- 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.
- 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.
- Eareckson Air Station (SYA) currently has only 1 runway.
- There is also an NDB, TACAN and a VOR on the island.
- 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 closest airport to Eareckson Air Station (SYA) is Casco Cove Coast Guard Station (ATU), which is located 40 miles (65 kilometers) WNW of SYA.
- It also became a Strategic Air Command refueling site for B-52 Stratofortress bombers and KC-135 tankers as part of Operation Chrome Dome.