Nonstop flight route between Nikkō / Utsunomiya, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan and Shemya, Alaska, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Utsunomiya Air Field (QUT), Nikkō / Utsunomiya, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan and Eareckson Air Station (SYA), Shemya, Alaska, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 1,993 miles (or 3,208 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 relatively short distance between Utsunomiya Air Field and Eareckson Air Station, the route shown on this map most likely still appears to be a straight line.

Departure Airport Information:

Arrival Airport Information:

Facts about Utsunomiya Air Field (QUT):

• In addition to being known as "Utsunomiya Air Field", other names for QUT include "宇都宮飛行場" and "Utsunomiya Hikōjō".
• Utsunomiya Air Field (QUT) currently has only 1 runway.
• The furthest airport from Utsunomiya Air Field (QUT) is Rio Grande Regional Airport (RIG), which is located 11,685 miles (18,806 kilometers) away in Rio Grande, Brazil.
• The closest airport to Utsunomiya Air Field (QUT) is Fukushima Airport (FKS), which is located 58 miles (94 kilometers) NNE of QUT.
• Because of Utsunomiya Air Field's relatively low elevation of 334 feet, planes can take off or land at Utsunomiya Air Field 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):

• 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.
• On 6 April 1993, Shemya Air Force Base was renamed Eareckson Air Station.
• The base host squadron was re-designated the 5073rd Air Base Squadron on October 1962, and upgraded to a group on 15 October 1974 in recognition of the number and complexities of the tenant units it supported.
• 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 spring of 1944 brought improving weather and the B-24s and PV-1s to fly more missions over the Kuriles.
• In addition to being known as "Eareckson Air Station", other names for SYA include "Shemya Air Force Base", "Shemya Army Airfield" and "  ".
• Shemya also continued to support the Great Circle Route for MATS and later Military Airlift Command transports between Japan and Elmendorf AFB.
• 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.
• 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 aerial photos taken on the raid showed the Japanese were building up forces in the area, transferring aircraft presumably from air bases on Hokkaido.