Nonstop flight route between Shemya, Alaska, United States and Franceville / Mvengue, Gabon:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Eareckson Air Station (SYA), Shemya, Alaska, United States and M'Vengue El Hadj Omar Bongo Ondimba International Airport (MVB), Franceville / Mvengue, Gabon would travel a Great Circle distance of 8,738 miles (or 14,063 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 M'Vengue El Hadj Omar Bongo Ondimba 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 M'Vengue El Hadj Omar Bongo Ondimba 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):

• 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.
• Jurisdiction of Shemya AFB was transferred from the Aerospace Defense Command to the Strategic Air Command when the former was inactivated on 1 October 1979.
• Eareckson Air Station (SYA) currently has only 1 runway.
• The mission of Eleventh Air Force was to take advantage of the new airfields on Shemya and Attu, and carry out offensive operations against the enemy forces in 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.
• Shemya also continued to support the Great Circle Route for MATS and later Military Airlift Command transports between Japan and Elmendorf AFB.
• 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.
• In addition to being known as "Eareckson Air Station", other names for SYA include "Shemya Air Force Base", "Shemya Army Airfield" and "  ".
• In August, after the Soviet Union declared war against the Japanese Empire, B-24s were dispatched on reconnaissance and intelligence-gathering missions to observe the Russian activity in the Kuriles.

Facts about M'Vengue El Hadj Omar Bongo Ondimba International Airport (MVB):

• The closest airport to M'Vengue El Hadj Omar Bongo Ondimba International Airport (MVB) is Moanda Airport (MFF), which is located only 14 miles (23 kilometers) NW of MVB.
• The furthest airport from M'Vengue El Hadj Omar Bongo Ondimba International Airport (MVB) is Canton Island Airport (CIS), which is located 11,968 miles (19,261 kilometers) away in Canton Island, Kiribati.
• M'Vengue El Hadj Omar Bongo Ondimba International Airport (MVB) currently has only 1 runway.