Nonstop flight route between Shemya, Alaska, United States and Staunton / Waynesboro / Harrisonburg, Virginia, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Eareckson Air Station (SYA), Shemya, Alaska, United States and Shenandoah Valley Regional Airport (SHD), Staunton / Waynesboro / Harrisonburg, Virginia, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,787 miles (or 7,704 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 Shenandoah Valley Regional 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 Shenandoah Valley Regional 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.
• 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.
• In addition to being known as "Eareckson Air Station", other names for SYA include "Shemya Air Force Base", "Shemya Army Airfield" and "  ".
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Eareckson Air Station (SYA) currently has only 1 runway.
• 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.
• With the exception of a small station housekeeping unit, Shemya was abandoned after the war.

Facts about Shenandoah Valley Regional Airport (SHD):

• In June 2013, Shenandoah Regional Airport received criticism when an inmate of the Virginia Department of Corrections escaped from a work program based there.
• Shenandoah Valley Regional Airport (SHD) currently has only 1 runway.
• The furthest airport from Shenandoah Valley Regional Airport (SHD) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,601 miles (18,670 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
• Shenandoah Valley Regional Airport covers an area of 433 acres at an elevation of 1,201 feet above mean sea level.
• The closest airport to Shenandoah Valley Regional Airport (SHD) is Charlottesville–Albemarle Airport (CHO), which is located 26 miles (41 kilometers) ESE of SHD.