Nonstop flight route between Shemya, Alaska, United States and Flinders Island, Tasmania, Australia:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from SYA to FLS:
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- About this route
- SYA Airport Information
- FLS Airport Information
- Facts about SYA
- Facts about FLS
- Map of Nearest Airports to SYA
- List of Nearest Airports to SYA
- Map of Furthest Airports from SYA
- List of Furthest Airports from SYA
- Map of Nearest Airports to FLS
- List of Nearest Airports to FLS
- Map of Furthest Airports from FLS
- List of Furthest Airports from FLS
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Eareckson Air Station (SYA), Shemya, Alaska, United States and Flinders Island Airport (FLS), Flinders Island, Tasmania, Australia would travel a Great Circle distance of 6,600 miles (or 10,622 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 Flinders Island 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 Flinders Island Airport. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure Airport Information:
| IATA / ICAO Codes: | SYA / PASY |
| Airport Names: |
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| 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 |
Arrival Airport Information:
| IATA / ICAO Codes: | FLS / YFLI |
| Airport Name: | Flinders Island Airport |
| Location: | Flinders Island, Tasmania, Australia |
| GPS Coordinates: | 40°5'29"S by 147°59'34"E |
| Area Served: | Flinders Island |
| Operator/Owner: | Flinders Council |
| Airport Type: | Public |
| Elevation: | 34 feet (10 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 2 |
| View all routes: | Routes from FLS |
| More Information: | FLS Maps & Info |
Facts about Eareckson Air Station (SYA):
- With the successful completion of the Aleutian Campaign in August 1943, Eleventh Air Force came within striking distance of the Japanese Kurile Islands, the northernmost being 750 miles to the south-southwest of Shemya.
- 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.
- With the exception of a small station housekeeping unit, Shemya was abandoned after the war.
- 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.
- A second attack by B-24 Liberators was launched from Alexai Point and Shemya on 18 July.
- 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.
- 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 1958, the Air Force resumed operations on Shemya in support of various Air Force and Army strategic intelligence collection activities.
- 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 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.
- 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.
Facts about Flinders Island Airport (FLS):
- Because of Flinders Island Airport's relatively low elevation of 34 feet, planes can take off or land at Flinders Island Airport 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.
- Flinders Island Airport (FLS) has 2 runways.
- The closest airport to Flinders Island Airport (FLS) is St Helens Airport (HLS), which is located 87 miles (141 kilometers) S of FLS.
- The furthest airport from Flinders Island Airport (FLS) is Corvo Airport (CVU), which is nearly antipodal to Flinders Island Airport (meaning Flinders Island Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Corvo Airport), and is located 12,381 miles (19,926 kilometers) away in Corvo Island, Azores, Portugal.
