Nonstop flight route between Mackinac Island, Michigan, United States and Shemya, Alaska, United States:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from MCD to SYA:
Share this route:
Jump to:
- About this route
- MCD Airport Information
- SYA Airport Information
- Facts about MCD
- Facts about SYA
- Map of Nearest Airports to MCD
- List of Nearest Airports to MCD
- Map of Furthest Airports from MCD
- List of Furthest Airports from MCD
- 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 Mackinac Island Airport (MCD), Mackinac Island, Michigan, United States and Eareckson Air Station (SYA), Shemya, Alaska, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,197 miles (or 6,754 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 Mackinac Island 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 Mackinac Island 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: | MCD / KMCD |
Airport Name: | Mackinac Island Airport |
Location: | Mackinac Island, Michigan, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 45°51'54"N by 84°38'13"W |
Area Served: | Mackinac Island, Michigan |
Operator/Owner: | Mackinac Island State Park Commission |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 739 feet (225 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from MCD |
More Information: | MCD 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 Mackinac Island Airport (MCD):
- Because of Mackinac Island Airport's relatively low elevation of 739 feet, planes can take off or land at Mackinac Island 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 Mackinac Island Airport (MCD) is Pellston Regional Airport of Emmet County (PLN), which is located 22 miles (35 kilometers) SSW of MCD.
- The furthest airport from Mackinac Island Airport (MCD) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,111 miles (17,881 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
- Mackinac Island Airport was activated in 1940.
- Mackinac Island Airport (MCD) currently has only 1 runway.
Facts about Eareckson Air Station (SYA):
- 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.
- Eareckson Air Station (SYA) currently has only 1 runway.
- Shemya also continued to support the Great Circle Route for MATS and later Military Airlift Command transports between Japan and Elmendorf AFB.
- 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 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.
- By the end of 1944, several hundred American airmen had been interned by the Russians after their crippled aircraft landed on Petropavlovsk on the Kamchatka Peninsula.
- On 10 July 1943, eight B-25 Mitchells from the 77th Bombardment Squadron left Adak AAF and refueled at Alexai Point AAF on Attu.
- 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 spring of 1944 brought improving weather and the B-24s and PV-1s to fly more missions over the Kuriles.
- On 1 July 1994, the 11th Air Control Wing was inactivated and the 673d ABG was reassigned to Eleventh Air Force.