Nonstop flight route between La Rioja, Argentina and Shearwater, Nova Scotia, Canada:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Capitán Vicente Almandos Almonacid Airport (IRJ), La Rioja, Argentina and Shearwater Heliport (YAW), Shearwater, Nova Scotia, Canada would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,118 miles (or 8,237 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 Capitán Vicente Almandos Almonacid 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 Capitán Vicente Almandos Almonacid Airport and Shearwater Heliport. 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 Capitán Vicente Almandos Almonacid Airport (IRJ):

• The airport was named after the Argentine aviation pioneer Vicente Almandos Almonacid.
• Capitán Vicente Almandos Almonacid Airport (IRJ) currently has only 1 runway.
• The airport was built in 1948, and was officially inaugurated with an LADE Viking flight on October 11, 1948.
• The closest airport to Capitán Vicente Almandos Almonacid Airport (IRJ) is Coronel Felipe Varela International Airport (CTC), which is located 83 miles (134 kilometers) NE of IRJ.
• In addition to being known as "Capitán Vicente Almandos Almonacid Airport", another name for IRJ is "Aeropuerto de La Rioja - Capitán Vicente Almandos Almonacid".
• Since March 16, 1999, it has been operated by Aeropuertos Argentina 2000.
• The furthest airport from Capitán Vicente Almandos Almonacid Airport (IRJ) is Changsha Huanghua International Airport (CSX), which is nearly antipodal to Capitán Vicente Almandos Almonacid Airport (meaning Capitán Vicente Almandos Almonacid Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Changsha Huanghua International Airport), and is located 12,355 miles (19,883 kilometers) away in Changsha, Hunan, China.

Facts about Shearwater Heliport (YAW):

• 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.
• In addition to being known as "Shearwater Heliport", other names for YAW include "Halifax/Shearwater Heliport", "12 Wing Shearwater" and "CFB Shearwater".
• 12 Wing's squadrons at Shearwater Heliport in Nova Scotia and at Patricia Bay in British Columbia currently operate the Sikorsky CH-124 Sea King but is expected to re-equip with the Sikorsky CH-148 Cyclone commencing in 2012 with the conclusion 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.
• The inconvenience of not having a ground component for the "Nova Scotia International Air Show" as a result of the Shearwater Heliport Conversion Project saw the entire event moved to Halifax Stanfield International Airport beginning in 2004.
• The closest airport to Shearwater Heliport (YAW) is Halifax Stanfield International Airport (YHZ), which is located only 17 miles (27 kilometers) N of 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.
• Defence cutbacks and unit and facility realignments from 1994 to 1996 saw CFB Shearwater stand down as a separate formation and the facility merged as an airfield attached to CFB Halifax.
• The combined land and sea-based aerodromes were used to station carrier-based maritime patrol and fighter aircraft.