Nonstop flight route between Shemya, Alaska, United States and Whistler, British Columbia, Canada:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from SYA to YWS:
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- About this route
- SYA Airport Information
- YWS Airport Information
- Facts about SYA
- Facts about YWS
- Map of Nearest Airports to SYA
- List of Nearest Airports to SYA
- Map of Furthest Airports from SYA
- List of Furthest Airports from SYA
- Map of Nearest Airports to YWS
- List of Nearest Airports to YWS
- Map of Furthest Airports from YWS
- List of Furthest Airports from YWS
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Eareckson Air Station (SYA), Shemya, Alaska, United States and Whistler/Green Lake Water Aerodrome (YWS), Whistler, British Columbia, Canada would travel a Great Circle distance of 2,630 miles (or 4,232 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 Whistler/Green Lake Water 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 Whistler/Green Lake Water Aerodrome. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | SYA / PASY |
Airport Names: |
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Location: | Shemya, Alaska, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 52°42'43"N by 174°6'48"E |
Operator/Owner: | U.S. Air Force |
Airport Type: | Military |
Elevation: | 97 feet (30 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from SYA |
More Information: | SYA Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | YWS / |
Airport Names: |
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Location: | Whistler, British Columbia, Canada |
GPS Coordinates: | 50°8'36"N by 122°56'57"W |
Area Served: | Whistler, British Columbia,& Pemberton, British Columbia |
Operator/Owner: | Harbour Air Flight Group |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 2100 feet (640 meters) |
View all routes: | Routes from YWS |
More Information: | YWS Maps & Info |
Facts about Eareckson Air Station (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.
- In 1958, the Air Force resumed operations on Shemya in support of various Air Force and Army strategic intelligence collection activities.
- 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.
- 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 station was also used by SAC Cobra Ball and other related projects which monitored missile-associated signals and tracks missiles during boost and re-entry phases to provide reconnaissance for treaty verification and theater ballistic missile proliferation.
- 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.
- Eareckson Air Station (SYA) currently has only 1 runway.
- In addition to being known as "Eareckson Air Station", other names for SYA include "Shemya Air Force Base", "Shemya Army Airfield" and " ".
- Additional aircraft and personnel reductions occurred in 1945 and almost all air bases other than Alexi Point, Shemya and Davis in the Aleutians were reduced to caretaker status.
Facts about Whistler/Green Lake Water Aerodrome (YWS):
- In addition to being known as "Whistler/Green Lake Water Aerodrome", another name for YWS is "CAE5".
- The closest airport to Whistler/Green Lake Water Aerodrome (YWS) is Squamish Airport (YSE), which is located 27 miles (43 kilometers) SSW of YWS.
- The furthest airport from Whistler/Green Lake Water Aerodrome (YWS) is Tôlanaro Airport (FTU), which is located 10,620 miles (17,091 kilometers) away in Tôlanaro, Madagascar.