Nonstop flight route between Misawa, Aomori, Japan and Shageluk, Alaska, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Misawa Air Base 三沢飛行場 Misawa Hikōjō (MSJ), Misawa, Aomori, Japan and Shageluk Airport (SHX), Shageluk, Alaska, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 2,811 miles (or 4,524 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 Misawa Air Base 三沢飛行場 Misawa Hikōjō and Shageluk Airport, 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 Misawa Air Base 三沢飛行場 Misawa Hikōjō and Shageluk Airport. 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 Misawa Air Base 三沢飛行場 Misawa Hikōjō (MSJ):

• In addition to being known as "Misawa Air Base 三沢飛行場 Misawa Hikōjō", another name for MSJ is "Misawa AB".
• In 1870, the Japanese Emperor established a stud farm for the household cavalry in the area that later became Misawa AB, and kept his own cavalry there until 1931, when the Sino-Japanese conflict required their use in China.
• At Misawa, the 49th was replaced by the 6163d Air Base Wing to perform host and occupation duties.
• The closest airport to Misawa Air Base 三沢飛行場 Misawa Hikōjō (MSJ) is JMSDF Hachinohe Air Base (HHE), which is located only 12 miles (19 kilometers) SSE of MSJ.
• Between May and August 1953, the 12th Strategic Fighter Wing pulled a rotational TDY at Misawa relieving the 27th and being relieved in turn by the 31st Strategic Fighter Wing.
• The 31st Air Division was inactivated on January 15, 1968, and was replaced at Misawa by the 475th Air Base Wing.
• Misawa Air Base was near the take-off site of the world's first non-stop trans-Pacific flight in 1931.
• Before the outbreak of World War II, Lake Ogawara at Misawa was used by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service to practice for the attack on Pearl Harbor.
• The furthest airport from Misawa Air Base 三沢飛行場 Misawa Hikōjō (MSJ) is Rio Grande Regional Airport (RIG), which is located 11,479 miles (18,473 kilometers) away in Rio Grande, Brazil.

Facts about Shageluk Airport (SHX):

• The furthest airport from Shageluk Airport (SHX) is George Airport (GRJ), which is located 10,453 miles (16,822 kilometers) away in George, South Africa.
• The closest airport to Shageluk Airport (SHX) is Anvik Airport (ANV), which is located only 20 miles (32 kilometers) W of SHX.
• Because of Shageluk Airport's relatively low elevation of 79 feet, planes can take off or land at Shageluk 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.
• Shageluk Airport (SHX) has 2 runways.