Nonstop flight route between Shemya, Alaska, United States and Zhangjiakou, Hebei Province, China:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Eareckson Air Station (SYA), Shemya, Alaska, United States and Zhangjiakou Ningyuan Airport (ZQZ), Zhangjiakou, Hebei Province, China would travel a Great Circle distance of 2,835 miles (or 4,562 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 Zhangjiakou Ningyuan 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 Zhangjiakou Ningyuan 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):

• 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 "  ".
• 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 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 aerial photos taken on the raid showed the Japanese were building up forces in the area, transferring aircraft presumably from air bases on Hokkaido.
• Shemya also continued to support the Great Circle Route for MATS and later Military Airlift Command transports between Japan and Elmendorf AFB.
• 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.
• 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.

Facts about Zhangjiakou Ningyuan Airport (ZQZ):

• The closest airport to Zhangjiakou Ningyuan Airport (ZQZ) is Datong Yungang Airport (DAT), which is located 89 miles (144 kilometers) WSW of ZQZ.
• The furthest airport from Zhangjiakou Ningyuan Airport (ZQZ) is Antoine de Saint Exupéry Airport (OES), which is nearly antipodal to Zhangjiakou Ningyuan Airport (meaning Zhangjiakou Ningyuan Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Antoine de Saint Exupéry Airport), and is located 12,435 miles (20,012 kilometers) away in San Antonio Oeste, Argentina.
• In addition to being known as "Zhangjiakou Ningyuan Airport", other names for ZQZ include "张家口宁远机场" and "Zhāngjiākǒu Níngyuǎn Jīchǎng".