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

Arrival Airport:

Distance from GNU to SYA:
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- About this route
- GNU Airport Information
- SYA Airport Information
- Facts about GNU
- Facts about SYA
- Map of Nearest Airports to GNU
- List of Nearest Airports to GNU
- Map of Furthest Airports from GNU
- List of Furthest Airports from GNU
- 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 Goodnews Airport (GNU), Goodnews, Alaska, United States and Eareckson Air Station (SYA), Shemya, Alaska, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 1,032 miles (or 1,661 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 Goodnews Airport 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: | GNU / |
Airport Name: | Goodnews Airport |
Location: | Goodnews, Alaska, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 59°7'2"N by 161°34'38"W |
Area Served: | Goodnews, Alaska |
Operator/Owner: | State of Alaska DOT&PF - Central Region |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 15 feet (5 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from GNU |
More Information: | GNU 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 Goodnews Airport (GNU):
- Because of Goodnews Airport's relatively low elevation of 15 feet, planes can take off or land at Goodnews 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.
- The closest airport to Goodnews Airport (GNU) is Platinum Airport (PTU), which is located only 11 miles (18 kilometers) SW of GNU.
- Goodnews Airport (GNU) currently has only 1 runway.
- The furthest airport from Goodnews Airport (GNU) is Cape Town International Airport (CPT), which is located 10,699 miles (17,219 kilometers) away in Cape Town, South Africa.
Facts about Eareckson Air Station (SYA):
- There is also an NDB, TACAN and a VOR on the island.
- 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 " ".
- 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.
- 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.
- With the exception of a small station housekeeping unit, Shemya was abandoned after the war.
- 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 news of the surrender of the Japanese was met with enthusiasm, the biggest topic was "When do we go home?".
- Jurisdiction of Shemya AFB was transferred from the Aerospace Defense Command to the Strategic Air Command when the former was inactivated on 1 October 1979.
- 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.