Nonstop flight route between Shearwater, Nova Scotia, Canada and Minto, Alaska, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Shearwater Heliport (YAW), Shearwater, Nova Scotia, Canada and Minto Al Wright Airport (MNT), Minto, Alaska, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 3,370 miles (or 5,423 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 Minto Al Wright 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 Minto Al Wright Airport. 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 Shearwater Heliport (YAW):

• During the late 1990s and early 2000s the Shearwater airfield was scaled back significantly as the facility transitioned to a heliport with surplus lands identified and transferred to Canada Lands Company.
• 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.
• 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.
• In addition to being known as "Shearwater Heliport", other names for YAW include "Halifax/Shearwater Heliport", "12 Wing Shearwater" and "CFB Shearwater".
• 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.
• 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.
• The closest airport to Shearwater Heliport (YAW) is Halifax Stanfield International Airport (YHZ), which is located only 17 miles (27 kilometers) N of YAW.

Facts about Minto Al Wright Airport (MNT):

• As per Federal Aviation Administration records, the airport had 154 passenger boardings in calendar year 2008, 193 enplanements in 2009, and 294 in 2010.
• Minto Al Wright Airport (MNT) currently has only 1 runway.
• The closest airport to Minto Al Wright Airport (MNT) is Rampart Airport (RMP), which is located 33 miles (54 kilometers) NW of MNT.
• Because of Minto Al Wright Airport's relatively low elevation of 500 feet, planes can take off or land at Minto Al Wright 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.
• In addition to being known as "Minto Al Wright Airport", another name for MNT is "51Z".
• The furthest airport from Minto Al Wright Airport (MNT) is Port Elizabeth International Airport (PLZ), which is located 10,273 miles (16,533 kilometers) away in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
• Minto Al Wright Airport covers an area of 295 acres at an elevation of 495 feet above mean sea level.