Nonstop flight route between Shemya, Alaska, United States and Springfield, Missouri, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Eareckson Air Station (SYA), Shemya, Alaska, United States and Springfield–Branson National Airport (SGF), Springfield, Missouri, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,324 miles (or 6,959 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 Springfield–Branson National 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 Springfield–Branson National 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.
• 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 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• With the exception of a small station housekeeping unit, Shemya was abandoned after the war.
• 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.
• 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.
• In addition to being known as "Eareckson Air Station", other names for SYA include "Shemya Air Force Base", "Shemya Army Airfield" and "  ".
• The limited resources assigned to the Eleventh Air Force meant only a limited number of missions could be carried out over the Kuriles.

Facts about Springfield–Branson National Airport (SGF):

• There is an Army National Guard unit based at Springfield–Branson, the 35th combat aviation brigade, detachment 3 company 1 of the 185th aviation regiment.
• In 1992 the airport was renamed Springfield–Branson Regional Airport capitalizing on the sudden rise of the Branson, Missouri tourist industry southeast of the airport).
• Springfield–Branson National Airport (SGF) has 2 runways.
• The closest airport to Springfield–Branson National Airport (SGF) is M. Graham Clark Downtown Airport (PLK), which is located 44 miles (70 kilometers) SSE of SGF.
• The furthest airport from Springfield–Branson National Airport (SGF) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 10,826 miles (17,423 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
• Springfield–Branson National Airport, formerly Springfield–Greene County Airport, Springfield Municipal Airport and Springfield–Branson Regional Airport, is a public airport five miles northwest of Springfield, in Greene County, Missouri.