Nonstop flight route between Shemya, Alaska, United States and Montbéliard, France:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Eareckson Air Station (SYA), Shemya, Alaska, United States and Montbéliard - Courcelles Aerodrome (XMF), Montbéliard, France would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,474 miles (or 8,809 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 Montbéliard - Courcelles Aerodrome, 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 Montbéliard - Courcelles Aerodrome. 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):

• 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.
• 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.
• In addition to being known as "Eareckson Air Station", other names for SYA include "Shemya Air Force Base", "Shemya Army Airfield" and "  ".
• With the exception of a small station housekeeping unit, Shemya was abandoned after the war.
• 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.
• Eareckson Air Station (SYA) currently has only 1 runway.
• There is also an NDB, TACAN and a VOR on the island.
• 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 July 1973, Raytheon won a contract to build a system called COBRA DANE on Shemya.
• The 404th Bombardment Squadron flew B-24 Liberator heavy bombers along with one Beechcraft AT-7, which was used for navigator training.

Facts about Montbéliard - Courcelles Aerodrome (XMF):

• In addition to being known as "Montbéliard - Courcelles Aerodrome", another name for XMF is "Aérodrome de Montbéliard - Courcelles".
• The closest airport to Montbéliard - Courcelles Aerodrome (XMF) is EuroAirport Basel–Mulhouse–Freiburg (BSL), which is located 35 miles (57 kilometers) ENE of XMF.
• The furthest airport from Montbéliard - Courcelles Aerodrome (XMF) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is nearly antipodal to Montbéliard - Courcelles Aerodrome (meaning Montbéliard - Courcelles Aerodrome is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Chatham Islands), and is located 12,138 miles (19,535 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
• Montbéliard - Courcelles Aerodrome (XMF) has 2 runways.