Nonstop flight route between Kilronan, Inishmore, Ireland and Shemya, Alaska, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Inishmore Aerodrome (IOR), Kilronan, Inishmore, Ireland and Eareckson Air Station (SYA), Shemya, Alaska, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,122 miles (or 8,243 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 Inishmore Aerodrome 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 Inishmore Aerodrome 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 Inishmore Aerodrome (IOR):

• The closest airport to Inishmore Aerodrome (IOR) is Inishmaan Aerodrome (IIA), which is located only 4 miles (6 kilometers) ESE of IOR.
• In addition to being known as "Inishmore Aerodrome", another name for IOR is "Kilronan Airport".
• Inishmore Aerodrome (IOR) currently has only 1 runway.
• The furthest airport from Inishmore Aerodrome (IOR) is Ryan's Creek Aerodrome (SZS), which is located 11,997 miles (19,307 kilometers) away in Stewart Island, New Zealand.
• Because of Inishmore Aerodrome's relatively low elevation of 24 feet, planes can take off or land at Inishmore Aerodrome 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.

Facts about Eareckson Air Station (SYA):

• The spring of 1944 brought improving weather and the B-24s and PV-1s to fly more missions over the Kuriles.
• 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 station was also used by SAC Cobra Ball and other related projects which monitored missile-associated signals and tracks missiles during boost and re-entry phases to provide reconnaissance for treaty verification and theater ballistic missile proliferation.
• There is also an NDB, TACAN and a VOR on the island.
• 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.
• Shemya also continued to support the Great Circle Route for MATS and later Military Airlift Command transports between Japan and Elmendorf AFB.
• 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 is located on the western tip of Alaska's Aleutian islands near the larger island of Attu, and is located approximately 1500 miles southwest of Anchorage.
• In addition to being known as "Eareckson Air Station", other names for SYA include "Shemya Air Force Base", "Shemya Army Airfield" and "  ".
• Eareckson Air Station (SYA) currently has only 1 runway.