Nonstop flight route between Wirasaba, Central Java, Indonesia and Shemya, Alaska, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Purwokerto / Wirasaba Airport (PWL), Wirasaba, Central Java, Indonesia and Eareckson Air Station (SYA), Shemya, Alaska, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,609 miles (or 9,026 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 Purwokerto / Wirasaba 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 Purwokerto / Wirasaba 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:

Arrival Airport Information:

Facts about Purwokerto / Wirasaba Airport (PWL):

• In addition to being known as "Purwokerto / Wirasaba Airport", other names for PWL include "Bandar Udara Wirasaba" and "WICP".
• The closest airport to Purwokerto / Wirasaba Airport (PWL) is Tunggul Wulung Airport (CXP), which is located 28 miles (45 kilometers) WSW of PWL.
• The furthest airport from Purwokerto / Wirasaba Airport (PWL) is Guasdualito Airport (GDO), which is nearly antipodal to Purwokerto / Wirasaba Airport (meaning Purwokerto / Wirasaba Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Guasdualito Airport), and is located 12,416 miles (19,981 kilometers) away in Guasdualito, Venezuela.

Facts about Eareckson Air Station (SYA):

• 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 1958, the Air Force resumed operations on Shemya in support of various Air Force and Army strategic intelligence collection activities.
• In addition to being known as "Eareckson Air Station", other names for SYA include "Shemya Air Force Base", "Shemya Army Airfield" and "  ".
• 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 1 July 1994, the 11th Air Control Wing was inactivated and the 673d ABG was reassigned to Eleventh Air Force.
• 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.
• After the disastrous attack, the focus of Eleventh Air Force was shifted to a defensive posture in the event of retaliatory attacks from the Japanese.
• The 404th Bombardment Squadron flew B-24 Liberator heavy bombers along with one Beechcraft AT-7, which was used for navigator training.
• There is also an NDB, TACAN and a VOR on the island.
• Eareckson Air Station (SYA) currently has only 1 runway.
• 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.