Nonstop flight route between Pellston, Michigan, United States and Shemya, Alaska, United States:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from PLN to SYA:
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- About this route
- PLN Airport Information
- SYA Airport Information
- Facts about PLN
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- Map of Nearest Airports to PLN
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- Map of Furthest Airports from PLN
- List of Furthest Airports from PLN
- Map of Nearest Airports to SYA
- List of Nearest Airports to SYA
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- List of Furthest Airports from SYA
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Pellston Regional Airport of Emmet County (PLN), Pellston, Michigan, United States and Eareckson Air Station (SYA), Shemya, Alaska, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,207 miles (or 6,770 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 Pellston Regional Airport of Emmet County 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 Pellston Regional Airport of Emmet County 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: | PLN / KPLN |
Airport Name: | Pellston Regional Airport of Emmet County |
Location: | Pellston, Michigan, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 45°34'14"N by 84°47'48"W |
Area Served: | Pellston, Michigan |
Operator/Owner: | Emmet County |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 720 feet (219 meters) |
# of Runways: | 2 |
View all routes: | Routes from PLN |
More Information: | PLN 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 Pellston Regional Airport of Emmet County (PLN):
- The closest airport to Pellston Regional Airport of Emmet County (PLN) is Mackinac Island Airport (MCD), which is located 22 miles (35 kilometers) NNE of PLN.
- Pellston Regional Airport of Emmet County (PLN) has 2 runways.
- Because of Pellston Regional Airport of Emmet County's relatively low elevation of 720 feet, planes can take off or land at Pellston Regional Airport of Emmet County 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 May 2013 Lakeshore Express Aviation announced regular flights from Pellston to Oakland County International Airport on 30-seat Saab 340B aircraft beginning in June.
- The furthest airport from Pellston Regional Airport of Emmet County (PLN) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,115 miles (17,888 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
- Mainly a general aviation airport, Pellston Regional Airport also functions as the primary commercial airport for the sparsely populated northern tip of Michigan's Lower Peninsula, owing to its location halfway between the region's primary cities, Petoskey and Cheboygan, as well as its close proximity to the tourist centers of Mackinaw City and Mackinac Island.
Facts about Eareckson Air Station (SYA):
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- The spring of 1944 brought improving weather and the B-24s and PV-1s to fly more missions over the Kuriles.
- 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.
- The 404th Bombardment Squadron flew B-24 Liberator heavy bombers along with one Beechcraft AT-7, which was used for navigator training.