Nonstop flight route between Shemya, Alaska, United States and Vopnafjörður, Iceland:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Eareckson Air Station (SYA), Shemya, Alaska, United States and Vopnafjörður Airport (VPN), Vopnafjörður, Iceland would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,240 miles (or 6,824 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 Vopnafjörður 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 Vopnafjörður 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 aerial photos taken on the raid showed the Japanese were building up forces in the area, transferring aircraft presumably from air bases on Hokkaido.
• In addition to being known as "Eareckson Air Station", other names for SYA include "Shemya Air Force Base", "Shemya Army Airfield" and "  ".
• 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.
• Eareckson Air Station (SYA) currently has only 1 runway.
• There is also an NDB, TACAN and a VOR on the island.
• The news of the surrender of the Japanese was met with enthusiasm, the biggest topic was "When do we go home?".
• 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.
• In July 1973, Raytheon won a contract to build a system called COBRA DANE on Shemya.
• 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.

Facts about Vopnafjörður Airport (VPN):

• Vopnafjörður Airport (VPN) currently has only 1 runway.
• In addition to being known as "Vopnafjörður Airport", another name for VPN is "Vopnafjarðarflugvöllur".
• Because of Vopnafjörður Airport's relatively low elevation of 10 feet, planes can take off or land at Vopnafjörður 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 Vopnafjörður Airport (VPN) is Egilsstaðir Airport (EGS), which is located 33 miles (53 kilometers) SSE of VPN.
• The furthest airport from Vopnafjörður Airport (VPN) is Ryan's Creek Aerodrome (SZS), which is located 11,132 miles (17,915 kilometers) away in Stewart Island, New Zealand.