Nonstop flight route between Shemya, Alaska, United States and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Eareckson Air Station (SYA), Shemya, Alaska, United States and Harrisburg International Airport (MDT), Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,753 miles (or 7,649 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 Harrisburg International 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 Harrisburg International 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):

• Shemya also continued to support the Great Circle Route for MATS and later Military Airlift Command transports between Japan and Elmendorf AFB.
• The spring of 1944 brought improving weather and the B-24s and PV-1s to fly more missions over the Kuriles.
• 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.
• In addition to being known as "Eareckson Air Station", other names for SYA include "Shemya Air Force Base", "Shemya Army Airfield" and "  ".
• 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 closest airport to Eareckson Air Station (SYA) is Casco Cove Coast Guard Station (ATU), which is located 40 miles (65 kilometers) WNW of SYA.
• Eareckson Air Station (SYA) currently has only 1 runway.
• Eareckson Air Station is a United States Air Force military airport located on the island of Shemya, in the Alaskan Aleutian Islands.
• 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.
• The 404th Bombardment Squadron flew B-24 Liberator heavy bombers along with one Beechcraft AT-7, which was used for navigator training.

Facts about Harrisburg International Airport (MDT):

• Harrisburg International Airport covers 680 acres at an elevation of 310 feet above mean sea level.
• Harrisburg International Airport remains an active touch and go practice runway for SAM 28000 and SAM 29000.
• Harrisburg International Airport (MDT) currently has only 1 runway.
• Because of Harrisburg International Airport's relatively low elevation of 310 feet, planes can take off or land at Harrisburg International 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.
• The closest airport to Harrisburg International Airport (MDT) is Capital City Airport (HAR), which is located only 5 miles (8 kilometers) WNW of MDT.
• The furthest airport from Harrisburg International Airport (MDT) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,654 miles (18,755 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
• The terminal has 12 gates and is a pier finger lay out near the middle of the airfield, almost parallel to the runway.
• The Middletown Air Depot at Olmsted provided logistical and maintenance support of military aircraft until it closed in 1969.