Nonstop flight route between Castlegar, British Columbia, Canada and Shemya, Alaska, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between West Kootenay Regional Airport (YCG), Castlegar, British Columbia, Canada and Eareckson Air Station (SYA), Shemya, Alaska, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 2,864 miles (or 4,609 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 West Kootenay Regional 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 West Kootenay Regional 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:

Arrival Airport Information:

Facts about West Kootenay Regional Airport (YCG):

• The closest airport to West Kootenay Regional Airport (YCG) is Grand Forks Airport (ZGF), which is located 41 miles (66 kilometers) WSW of YCG.
• The West Kootenay Regional Airport, is a small regional airport located 2 nautical miles south southeast of Castlegar, British Columbia.
• The airport is classified as an airport of entry by NAV CANADA and is staffed by the Canada Border Services Agency.
• The furthest airport from West Kootenay Regional Airport (YCG) is Tôlanaro Airport (FTU), which is located 10,566 miles (17,005 kilometers) away in Tôlanaro, Madagascar.
• In 2006, Castlegar airport was developing departure procedures for night time operation, but as of 2010 the airport was certified for daytime operation only.
• West Kootenay Regional Airport (YCG) currently has only 1 runway.
• Selkirk College’s Aviation - Professional Pilot programme operates two Web-cams that depict current conditions.
• In addition to being known as "West Kootenay Regional Airport", another name for YCG is "Castlegar/West Kootenay Regional Airport".

Facts about Eareckson Air Station (SYA):

• Eareckson Air Station (SYA) currently has only 1 runway.
• The Korean War brought extensive use by the Military Air Transport Service for the logistical support of Korea and Japan.
• On 6 April 1993, Shemya Air Force Base was renamed Eareckson Air Station.
• 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.
• In August, after the Soviet Union declared war against the Japanese Empire, B-24s were dispatched on reconnaissance and intelligence-gathering missions to observe the Russian activity in the Kuriles.
• 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.
• 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.
• Jurisdiction of Shemya AFB was transferred from the Aerospace Defense Command to the Strategic Air Command when the former was inactivated on 1 October 1979.
• In addition to being known as "Eareckson Air Station", other names for SYA include "Shemya Air Force Base", "Shemya Army Airfield" and "  ".
• 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.