Nonstop flight route between Shemya, Alaska, United States and Yan'an, Shaanxi, China:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Eareckson Air Station (SYA), Shemya, Alaska, United States and Yan'an Airport (ENY), Yan'an, Shaanxi, China would travel a Great Circle distance of 3,239 miles (or 5,212 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 Eareckson Air Station and Yan'an 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 Eareckson Air Station and Yan'an 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 Eareckson Air Station (SYA):

• Eareckson Air Station (SYA) currently has only 1 runway.
• The 404th Bombardment Squadron flew B-24 Liberator heavy bombers along with one Beechcraft AT-7, which was used for navigator training.
• On 6 April 1993, Shemya Air Force Base was renamed Eareckson Air Station.
• 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 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.
• In addition to being known as "Eareckson Air Station", other names for SYA include "Shemya Air Force Base", "Shemya Army Airfield" and "  ".
• The Korean War brought extensive use by the Military Air Transport Service for the logistical support of Korea and Japan.
• 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.
• 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.
• In July 1973, Raytheon won a contract to build a system called COBRA DANE on Shemya.

Facts about Yan'an Airport (ENY):

• The closest airport to Yan'an Airport (ENY) is Lüliang Airport (LLV), which is located 113 miles (183 kilometers) NE of ENY.
• The furthest airport from Yan'an Airport (ENY) is Chos Malal Airport (HOS), which is nearly antipodal to Yan'an Airport (meaning Yan'an Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Chos Malal Airport), and is located 12,380 miles (19,923 kilometers) away in Chos Malal, Neuquén, Argentina.
• In addition to being known as "Yan'an Airport", other names for ENY include "延安二十里堡机场" and "Yán'ān Èrshílǐpù Jīchǎng".