Nonstop flight route between Winfield/Arkansas City, Kansas, United States and Shemya, Alaska, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Strother Field (WLD), Winfield/Arkansas City, Kansas, United States and Eareckson Air Station (SYA), Shemya, Alaska, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,189 miles (or 6,742 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 Strother Field 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 Strother Field 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 Strother Field (WLD):

• The furthest airport from Strother Field (WLD) is Sir Gaëtan Duval Airport (RRG), which is located 10,751 miles (17,302 kilometers) away in Rodrigues Island, Mauritius.
• Strother Field (WLD) has 2 runways.
• The military use of Strother Field ended in October 1945 and it was turned over for civil use.
• In addition to being known as "Strother Field", another name for WLD is "(formerly Strother Army Airfield)".
• Strother Field covers an area of 1,530 acres at an elevation of 1,160 feet above mean sea level.
• The airport is named for Donald Root Strother, the first Army Air Corp pilot from Cowley County, Kansas to lose his life in World War II.
• The closest airport to Strother Field (WLD) is Earl Henry Airport (BWL), which is located 30 miles (48 kilometers) SSW of WLD.

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 "  ".
• In July 1973, Raytheon won a contract to build a system called COBRA DANE on Shemya.
• 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 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.
• 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.
• Shemya also continued to support the Great Circle Route for MATS and later Military Airlift Command transports between Japan and Elmendorf AFB.
• 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 mission of Eleventh Air Force was to take advantage of the new airfields on Shemya and Attu, and carry out offensive operations against the enemy forces in the Kuriles.