Nonstop flight route between Valdosta, Georgia, United States and Shemya, Alaska, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Valdosta Regional AirportValdosta Army Auxiliary Airfield (VLD), Valdosta, Georgia, United States and Eareckson Air Station (SYA), Shemya, Alaska, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,039 miles (or 8,109 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 Valdosta Regional AirportValdosta Army Auxiliary Airfield 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 Valdosta Regional AirportValdosta Army Auxiliary Airfield and Eareckson Air Station. 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 Valdosta Regional AirportValdosta Army Auxiliary Airfield (VLD):

• The closest airport to Valdosta Regional AirportValdosta Army Auxiliary Airfield (VLD) is Moody Air Force Base (VAD), which is located only 14 miles (22 kilometers) NNE of VLD.
• The furthest airport from Valdosta Regional AirportValdosta Army Auxiliary Airfield (VLD) is Kalbarri Airport (KAX), which is located 11,359 miles (18,281 kilometers) away in Kalbarri, Western Australia, Australia.
• Valdosta Regional Airport is a public-use airport located three nautical miles south of the central business district of Valdosta, a city in Lowndes County, Georgia, United States.
• Opened in April 1940, the airport was taken over by the United States Army Air Corps in 1941.
• Valdosta Regional AirportValdosta Army Auxiliary Airfield (VLD) has 3 runways.
• Because of Valdosta Regional AirportValdosta Army Auxiliary Airfield's relatively low elevation of 203 feet, planes can take off or land at Valdosta Regional AirportValdosta Army Auxiliary Airfield 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.

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.
• Eareckson Air Station (SYA) currently has only 1 runway.
• On 1 July 1994, the 11th Air Control Wing was inactivated and the 673d ABG was reassigned to Eleventh Air Force.
• On 6 April 1993, Shemya Air Force Base was renamed Eareckson Air Station.
• 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.
• 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.
• Shemya also continued to support the Great Circle Route for MATS and later Military Airlift Command transports between Japan and Elmendorf AFB.
• 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.
• 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.
• In addition to being known as "Eareckson Air Station", other names for SYA include "Shemya Air Force Base", "Shemya Army Airfield" and "  ".