Nonstop flight route between Shemya, Alaska, United States and Washabo, Suriname:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Eareckson Air Station (SYA), Shemya, Alaska, United States and Washabo Airstrip (WSO), Washabo, Suriname would travel a Great Circle distance of 7,443 miles (or 11,979 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 Washabo Airstrip, 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 Washabo Airstrip. 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):

• 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 news of the surrender of the Japanese was met with enthusiasm, the biggest topic was "When do we go home?".
• 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.
• There is also an NDB, TACAN and a VOR on the island.
• In addition to being known as "Eareckson Air Station", other names for SYA include "Shemya Air Force Base", "Shemya Army Airfield" and "  ".
• Eareckson Air Station (SYA) currently has only 1 runway.
• On 28 May 1943, a small detachment of Alaskan Scouts began reconnaissance of Shemya, a small, flat, uninhabited island 35 miles to the east of Attu.
• 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 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 August 1988, at least one Aries rocket was launched, relating to the Queen Match program, for anti-ballistic missile testing.
• Shemya also continued to support the Great Circle Route for MATS and later Military Airlift Command transports between Japan and Elmendorf AFB.
• With the exception of a small station housekeeping unit, Shemya was abandoned after the war.
• The spring of 1944 brought improving weather and the B-24s and PV-1s to fly more missions over the Kuriles.

Facts about Washabo Airstrip (WSO):

• The closest airport to Washabo Airstrip (WSO) is Majoor Henry Fernandes Airport (ICK), which is located 50 miles (80 kilometers) N of WSO.
• In addition to being known as "Washabo Airstrip", another name for WSO is "SMWS".
• Because of Washabo Airstrip's relatively low elevation of 145 feet, planes can take off or land at Washabo Airstrip 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 furthest airport from Washabo Airstrip (WSO) is Betoambari Airport (BUW), which is nearly antipodal to Washabo Airstrip (meaning Washabo Airstrip is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Betoambari Airport), and is located 12,413 miles (19,976 kilometers) away in Bau-Bau, Buton, Indonesia.