Nonstop flight route between Xangongo, Angola and Shearwater, Nova Scotia, Canada:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Vila Roçadas/Xangongo Airport (XGN), Xangongo, Angola and Shearwater Heliport (YAW), Shearwater, Nova Scotia, Canada would travel a Great Circle distance of 6,481 miles (or 10,430 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 Vila Roçadas/Xangongo Airport and Shearwater Heliport, 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 Vila Roçadas/Xangongo Airport and Shearwater Heliport. 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 Vila Roçadas/Xangongo Airport (XGN):

• In addition to being known as "Vila Roçadas/Xangongo Airport", another name for XGN is "Vila Roçadas/Xangongo Airport (Xangongo)".
• Vila Roçadas/Xangongo Airport (XGN) currently has only 1 runway.
• The furthest airport from Vila Roçadas/Xangongo Airport (XGN) is Johnston Atoll Airport (JON), which is nearly antipodal to Vila Roçadas/Xangongo Airport (meaning Vila Roçadas/Xangongo Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Johnston Atoll Airport), and is located 12,139 miles (19,536 kilometers) away in Johnston Atoll, U.S. Minor Outlying Islands.
• The closest airport to Vila Roçadas/Xangongo Airport (XGN) is Lubango Mukanka Airport (SDD), which is located 156 miles (252 kilometers) NW of XGN.

Facts about Shearwater Heliport (YAW):

• The Shearwater Heliport is the location of the headquarters of 12 Wing, whose sole purpose is to support and operate shipborne helicopters for the Royal Canadian Navy.
• Organizers of the "Nova Scotia International Air Show" continued to make use the Shearwater airfield for both ground displays and the air show component until 2002.
• The closest airport to Shearwater Heliport (YAW) is Halifax Stanfield International Airport (YHZ), which is located only 17 miles (27 kilometers) N of YAW.
• The furthest airport from Shearwater Heliport (YAW) is Albany Airport (ALH), which is located 11,763 miles (18,931 kilometers) away in Albany, Western Australia, Australia.
• In addition to being known as "Shearwater Heliport", other names for YAW include "Halifax/Shearwater Heliport", "12 Wing Shearwater" and "CFB Shearwater".
• Base rationalization and defence budget cutbacks for the Canadian Forces during the mid-1990s saw a largely administrative move when the formation CFB Shearwater stood down and the facilities transferred to the formation CFB Halifax and aircraft operations becoming the responsibility of newly formed 12 Wing.
• Post-war, 1948, the Royal Canadian Navy took over the facility, naming it HMCS Shearwater, also known as Royal Canadian Naval Air Station Shearwater.
• 12 Wing's squadrons at Shearwater Heliport in Nova Scotia and at Patricia Bay in British Columbia currently operate the Sikorsky CH-124 Sea King but is expected to re-equip with the Sikorsky CH-148 Cyclone commencing in 2012 with the conclusion of the Maritime Helicopter Project.
• Because of Shearwater Heliport's relatively low elevation of 144 feet, planes can take off or land at Shearwater Heliport 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.