Nonstop flight route between Lawas, Sarawak, Malaysia and Shemya, Alaska, United States:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from LWY to SYA:
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- About this route
- LWY Airport Information
- SYA Airport Information
- Facts about LWY
- Facts about SYA
- Map of Nearest Airports to LWY
- List of Nearest Airports to LWY
- Map of Furthest Airports from LWY
- List of Furthest Airports from LWY
- 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 Lawas Airport (LWY), Lawas, Sarawak, Malaysia and Eareckson Air Station (SYA), Shemya, Alaska, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,672 miles (or 7,519 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 Lawas 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 Lawas 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:
| IATA / ICAO Codes: | LWY / WBGW |
| Airport Names: |
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| Location: | Lawas, Sarawak, Malaysia |
| GPS Coordinates: | 4°50'57"N by 115°24'10"E |
| Area Served: | Lawas, Sarawak, East Malaysia |
| Operator/Owner: | Government of Malaysia |
| Airport Type: | Public |
| Elevation: | 5 feet (2 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 1 |
| View all routes: | Routes from LWY |
| More Information: | LWY Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
| IATA / ICAO Codes: | SYA / PASY |
| Airport Names: |
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| 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 Lawas Airport (LWY):
- The furthest airport from Lawas Airport (LWY) is Tefé Airport (TFF), which is nearly antipodal to Lawas Airport (meaning Lawas Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Tefé Airport), and is located 12,335 miles (19,851 kilometers) away in Tefé, Amazonas, Brazil.
- Lawas Airport (LWY) currently has only 1 runway.
- The closest airport to Lawas Airport (LWY) is Long Sukang Airport (LSU), which is located 21 miles (35 kilometers) SSE of LWY.
- In addition to being known as "Lawas Airport", other names for LWY include "Lapangan Terbang Lawas" and "老越机场".
- Because of Lawas Airport's relatively low elevation of 5 feet, planes can take off or land at Lawas 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.
Facts about Eareckson Air Station (SYA):
- The mission of Eleventh Air Force was to take advantage of the new airfields on Shemya and Attu, and carry out offensive operations against the enemy forces in 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 limited resources assigned to the Eleventh Air Force meant only a limited number of missions could be carried out over the Kuriles.
- 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.
- In 1966 the Air Defense Command 9th Air Division assumed jurisdiction of the base.
- 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.
- With the exception of a small station housekeeping unit, Shemya was abandoned after the war.
