Nonstop flight route between Khovd, Mongolia and Shemya, Alaska, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Khovd Airport (HVD), Khovd, Mongolia and Eareckson Air Station (SYA), Shemya, Alaska, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 3,449 miles (or 5,550 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 Khovd 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 Khovd 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 Khovd Airport (HVD):

• Khovd Airport (HVD) has 2 runways.
• Because of Khovd Airport's high elevation of 4,898 feet, planes must typically fly at a faster airspeed in order to takeoff or land at HVD. Combined with a high temperature, this could make HVD a "Hot & High" airport, where the air density is lower than it would otherwise be at sea level.
• The closest airport to Khovd Airport (HVD) is Ölgii Airport (ULG), which is located 106 miles (170 kilometers) NW of HVD.
• In addition to being known as "Khovd Airport", another name for HVD is "Ховд нисэх буудал".
• The furthest airport from Khovd Airport (HVD) is Cochrane Airfield (LGR), which is located 11,701 miles (18,831 kilometers) away in Cochrane, Chile.
• Khovd Airport handled 31,926 passengers last year.

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.
• In August, after the Soviet Union declared war against the Japanese Empire, B-24s were dispatched on reconnaissance and intelligence-gathering missions to observe the Russian activity in the Kuriles.
• It also became a Strategic Air Command refueling site for B-52 Stratofortress bombers and KC-135 tankers as part of Operation Chrome Dome.
• Eareckson Air Station (SYA) currently has only 1 runway.
• In addition to being known as "Eareckson Air Station", other names for SYA include "Shemya Air Force Base", "Shemya Army Airfield" and "  ".
• 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 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 successful completion of the Aleutian Campaign in August 1943, Eleventh Air Force came within striking distance of the Japanese Kurile Islands, the northernmost being 750 miles to the south-southwest of Shemya.
• 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 limited resources assigned to the Eleventh Air Force meant only a limited number of missions could be carried out over the Kuriles.