Nonstop flight route between Miles, Queensland, Australia and Shemya, Alaska, United States:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from WLE to SYA:
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- About this route
- WLE Airport Information
- SYA Airport Information
- Facts about WLE
- Facts about SYA
- Map of Nearest Airports to WLE
- List of Nearest Airports to WLE
- Map of Furthest Airports from WLE
- List of Furthest Airports from WLE
- 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 Miles Airport (WLE), Miles, Queensland, Australia and Eareckson Air Station (SYA), Shemya, Alaska, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,681 miles (or 9,143 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 Miles 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 Miles 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: | WLE / |
Airport Names: |
|
Location: | Miles, Queensland, Australia |
GPS Coordinates: | 26°48'33"S by 150°9'53"E |
Area Served: | Miles, Queensland, Australia |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 1492 feet (455 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from WLE |
More Information: | WLE Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | SYA / PASY |
Airport Names: |
|
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 Miles Airport (WLE):
- In addition to being known as "Miles Airport", another name for WLE is "YMLS".
- Miles Airport (WLE) currently has only 1 runway.
- The closest airport to Miles Airport (WLE) is Chincilla Airport (CCL), which is located 28 miles (45 kilometers) E of WLE.
- The furthest airport from Miles Airport (WLE) is Agostinho Neto Airport (NTO), which is located 11,707 miles (18,841 kilometers) away in Ponta do Sol, Santo Antão, Cape Verde.
Facts about Eareckson Air Station (SYA):
- 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.
- On 27 January 1992 the 5073rd Air Base Group located at Shemya AFB was re-designated as the Pacific Air Forces Eleventh Air Force 673d Air Base Group.
- 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.
- In addition to being known as "Eareckson Air Station", other names for SYA include "Shemya Air Force Base", "Shemya Army Airfield" and " ".
- Eareckson Air Station (SYA) currently has only 1 runway.
- By August, Eleventh Air Force B-24s were carrying out successful and accurate attacks on the Japanese military installations and the B-25s were successful in driving the Japanese fishing and much of the shipping out of the North Pacific.
- Eareckson Air Station is a United States Air Force military airport located on the island of Shemya, in the Alaskan Aleutian Islands.
- 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.
- A second attack by B-24 Liberators was launched from Alexai Point and Shemya on 18 July.
- 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 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.