Nonstop flight route between Woensdrecht, Netherlands and Shemya, Alaska, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Woensdrecht Air Base (WOE), Woensdrecht, Netherlands and Eareckson Air Station (SYA), Shemya, Alaska, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,215 miles (or 8,393 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 Woensdrecht Air Base 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 Woensdrecht Air Base 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 Woensdrecht Air Base (WOE):

• In addition to being known as "Woensdrecht Air Base", another name for WOE is "(Advanced Landing Ground B-79)".
• Because of Woensdrecht Air Base's relatively low elevation of 63 feet, planes can take off or land at Woensdrecht Air Base 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 closest airport to Woensdrecht Air Base (WOE) is Antwerp International Airport (ANR), which is located only 19 miles (30 kilometers) SSE of WOE.
• Woensdrecht Air Base (WOE) currently has only 1 runway.
• The furthest airport from Woensdrecht Air Base (WOE) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is located 11,908 miles (19,164 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.

Facts about Eareckson Air Station (SYA):

• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• In 1966 the Air Defense Command 9th Air Division assumed jurisdiction of the base.
• The Korean War brought extensive use by the Military Air Transport Service for the logistical support of Korea and Japan.
• By the end of 1944, several hundred American airmen had been interned by the Russians after their crippled aircraft landed on Petropavlovsk on the Kamchatka Peninsula.
• 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 "  ".