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

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Eareckson Air Station (SYA), Shemya, Alaska, United States and Orange-Caritat Air Base (BA 115) (XOG), Orange, France would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,714 miles (or 9,197 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 Orange-Caritat Air Base (BA 115), 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 Orange-Caritat Air Base (BA 115). 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):

• In addition to being known as "Eareckson Air Station", other names for SYA include "Shemya Air Force Base", "Shemya Army Airfield" and "  ".
• 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 limited resources assigned to the Eleventh Air Force meant only a limited number of missions could be carried out over the Kuriles.
• 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 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 exception of a small station housekeeping unit, Shemya was abandoned after the war.
• There is also an NDB, TACAN and a VOR on the island.
• 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.
• Eareckson Air Station (SYA) currently has only 1 runway.
• Jurisdiction of Shemya AFB was transferred from the Aerospace Defense Command to the Strategic Air Command when the former was inactivated on 1 October 1979.
• 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.

Facts about Orange-Caritat Air Base (BA 115) (XOG):

• The furthest airport from Orange-Caritat Air Base (BA 115) (XOG) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is nearly antipodal to Orange-Caritat Air Base (BA 115) (meaning Orange-Caritat Air Base (BA 115) is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Chatham Islands), and is located 12,367 miles (19,903 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
• In addition to being known as "Orange-Caritat Air Base (BA 115)", another name for XOG is "Base aérienne 115 Orange-Caritat "Capitaine de Seyne"".
• Because of Orange-Caritat Air Base (BA 115)'s relatively low elevation of 197 feet, planes can take off or land at Orange-Caritat Air Base (BA 115) 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 Orange-Caritat Air Base (BA 115) (XOG) is Avignon - Caumont Airport (AVN), which is located only 16 miles (26 kilometers) S of XOG.
• Orange-Caritat Air Base (BA 115) (XOG) currently has only 1 runway.