Nonstop flight route between Shearwater, Nova Scotia, Canada and Dirranbandi, Queensland, Australia:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from YAW to DRN:
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- About this route
- YAW Airport Information
- DRN Airport Information
- Facts about YAW
- Facts about DRN
- Map of Nearest Airports to YAW
- List of Nearest Airports to YAW
- Map of Furthest Airports from YAW
- List of Furthest Airports from YAW
- Map of Nearest Airports to DRN
- List of Nearest Airports to DRN
- Map of Furthest Airports from DRN
- List of Furthest Airports from DRN
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Shearwater Heliport (YAW), Shearwater, Nova Scotia, Canada and Dirranbandi Airport (DRN), Dirranbandi, Queensland, Australia would travel a Great Circle distance of 10,377 miles (or 16,701 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 Shearwater Heliport and Dirranbandi Airport, 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 Shearwater Heliport and Dirranbandi Airport. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | YAW / CYAW |
Airport Names: |
|
Location: | Shearwater, Nova Scotia, Canada |
GPS Coordinates: | 44°38'13"N by 63°30'7"W |
Operator/Owner: | Government of Canada |
Airport Type: | Military |
Elevation: | 144 feet (44 meters) |
View all routes: | Routes from YAW |
More Information: | YAW Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | DRN / YDBI |
Airport Name: | Dirranbandi Airport |
Location: | Dirranbandi, Queensland, Australia |
GPS Coordinates: | 28°35'30"S by 148°13'0"E |
Area Served: | Dirranbandi, Queensland, Australia |
Operator/Owner: | Balonne Shire Council |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 567 feet (173 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from DRN |
More Information: | DRN Maps & Info |
Facts about Shearwater Heliport (YAW):
- Post-war, 1948, the Royal Canadian Navy took over the facility, naming it HMCS Shearwater, also known as Royal Canadian Naval Air Station Shearwater.
- 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.
- As part of the heliport conversion project, the old runway 16/34 was permanently closed and placed outside of a new fence for the Shearwater Heliport, as shown in the Canada Flight Supplement effective 31 July 2008.
- 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.
- The combined land and sea-based aerodromes were used to station carrier-based maritime patrol and fighter aircraft.
- In addition to being known as "Shearwater Heliport", other names for YAW include "Halifax/Shearwater Heliport", "12 Wing Shearwater" and "CFB Shearwater".
- Defence cutbacks and unit and facility realignments from 1994 to 1996 saw CFB Shearwater stand down as a separate formation and the facility merged as an airfield attached to CFB Halifax.
- The closest airport to Shearwater Heliport (YAW) is Halifax Stanfield International Airport (YHZ), which is located only 17 miles (27 kilometers) N of YAW.
- By 2002 only runway 10/28 remained open.
- By the 1980s this air show came to be named the "Shearwater International Air Show" and was a popular event for military aviation enthusiasts in Eastern Canada and the Northeastern United States as the location of CFB Shearwater, coupled with the popularity of the Halifax area among military aircrew, resulted in heavy international participation from the RCAF, as well as the USAF, United States Navy, United States Marine Corps, Royal Air Force and numerous other NATO air forces in Europe.
- The air show moved to Yarmouth Airport in 2009 but returned to Shearwater in 2010, the first time since 2003 that an air show was held at the historic airfield.
Facts about Dirranbandi Airport (DRN):
- Because of Dirranbandi Airport's relatively low elevation of 567 feet, planes can take off or land at Dirranbandi Airport 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 Dirranbandi Airport (DRN) is Lightning Ridge Airport (LHG), which is located 61 miles (99 kilometers) SSW of DRN.
- Dirranbandi Airport (DRN) currently has only 1 runway.
- The furthest airport from Dirranbandi Airport (DRN) is Santa Maria Airport (SMA), which is located 11,742 miles (18,897 kilometers) away in Santa Maria, Portugal.