Nonstop flight route between Redding, California, United States and Shemya, Alaska, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Redding Municipal AirportRedding Army Airfield (RDD), Redding, California, United States and Eareckson Air Station (SYA), Shemya, Alaska, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 3,027 miles (or 4,871 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 Redding Municipal AirportRedding Army Airfield 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 Redding Municipal AirportRedding Army Airfield 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 Redding Municipal AirportRedding Army Airfield (RDD):

• The furthest airport from Redding Municipal AirportRedding Army Airfield (RDD) is Tôlanaro Airport (FTU), which is located 11,201 miles (18,026 kilometers) away in Tôlanaro, Madagascar.
• Redding Municipal AirportRedding Army Airfield (RDD) has 2 runways.
• Because of Redding Municipal AirportRedding Army Airfield's relatively low elevation of 505 feet, planes can take off or land at Redding Municipal AirportRedding Army Airfield 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.
• On 1 November 1944 control of Redding AAF was transferred from the Fourth Air Force to the Sacramento Area Command of the Army Air Forces’ Air Technical Service Command headquartered at McClellan Army Airfield near Sacramento.
• The closest airport to Redding Municipal AirportRedding Army Airfield (RDD) is Red Bluff Municipal Airport (RBL), which is located 25 miles (40 kilometers) S of RDD.

Facts about Eareckson Air Station (SYA):

• 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.
• Shemya also continued to support the Great Circle Route for MATS and later Military Airlift Command transports between Japan and Elmendorf AFB.
• On 6 April 1993, Shemya Air Force Base was renamed Eareckson Air Station.
• In addition to being known as "Eareckson Air Station", other names for SYA include "Shemya Air Force Base", "Shemya Army Airfield" and "  ".
• Eareckson Air Station (SYA) currently has only 1 runway.
• 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.
• Additional aircraft and personnel reductions occurred in 1945 and almost all air bases other than Alexi Point, Shemya and Davis in the Aleutians were reduced to caretaker status.
• 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 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 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.
• 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.