Nonstop flight route between Rach Gia, Kien Giang, Vietnam and Shemya, Alaska, United States:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from VKG to SYA:
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- About this route
- VKG Airport Information
- SYA Airport Information
- Facts about VKG
- Facts about SYA
- Map of Nearest Airports to VKG
- List of Nearest Airports to VKG
- Map of Furthest Airports from VKG
- List of Furthest Airports from VKG
- Map of Nearest Airports to SYA
- List of Nearest Airports to SYA
- Map of Furthest Airports from SYA
- List of Furthest Airports from SYA
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Rach Gia Airport (VKG), Rach Gia, Kien Giang, Vietnam and Eareckson Air Station (SYA), Shemya, Alaska, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,796 miles (or 7,718 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 Rach Gia Airport and Eareckson Air Station, 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 Rach Gia Airport and Eareckson Air Station. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | VKG / VVRG |
Airport Names: |
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Location: | Rach Gia, Kien Giang, Vietnam |
GPS Coordinates: | 9°57'34"N by 105°8'2"E |
Operator/Owner: | Southern Airports Services Company |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 6 feet (2 meters) |
# of Runways: | 2 |
View all routes: | Routes from VKG |
More Information: | VKG Maps & Info |
Arrival 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 |
Facts about Rach Gia Airport (VKG):
- The closest airport to Rach Gia Airport (VKG) is Can Tho International Airport (VCA), which is located 40 miles (65 kilometers) ENE of VKG.
- The furthest airport from Rach Gia Airport (VKG) is Tingo María Airport (TGI), which is nearly antipodal to Rach Gia Airport (meaning Rach Gia Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Tingo María Airport), and is located 12,346 miles (19,870 kilometers) away in Tingo María, Peru.
- Rach Gia Airport (VKG) has 2 runways.
- Because of Rach Gia Airport's relatively low elevation of 6 feet, planes can take off or land at Rach Gia Airport 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 addition to being known as "Rach Gia Airport", another name for VKG is "Sân bay Rạch Giá".
Facts about Eareckson Air Station (SYA):
- 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.
- Eareckson Air Station (SYA) currently has only 1 runway.
- The Korean War brought extensive use by the Military Air Transport Service for the logistical support of Korea and Japan.
- In 1958, the Air Force resumed operations on Shemya in support of various Air Force and Army strategic intelligence collection activities.
- 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.
- With the exception of a small station housekeeping unit, Shemya was abandoned after the war.
- In addition to being known as "Eareckson Air Station", other names for SYA include "Shemya Air Force Base", "Shemya Army Airfield" and " ".
- 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 closest airport to Eareckson Air Station (SYA) is Casco Cove Coast Guard Station (ATU), which is located 40 miles (65 kilometers) WNW of SYA.
- On 6 April 1993, Shemya Air Force Base was renamed Eareckson Air Station.
- Eareckson Air Station is located on the western tip of Alaska's Aleutian islands near the larger island of Attu, and is located approximately 1500 miles southwest of Anchorage.
- On 1 July 1994, the 11th Air Control Wing was inactivated and the 673d ABG was reassigned to Eleventh Air Force.
- 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.