Nonstop flight route between Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada and Shearwater, Nova Scotia, Canada:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from YQY to YAW:
Share this route:
Jump to:
- About this route
- YQY Airport Information
- YAW Airport Information
- Facts about YQY
- Facts about YAW
- Map of Nearest Airports to YQY
- List of Nearest Airports to YQY
- Map of Furthest Airports from YQY
- List of Furthest Airports from YQY
- Map of Nearest Airports to YAW
- List of Nearest Airports to YAW
- Map of Furthest Airports from YAW
- List of Furthest Airports from YAW
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Sydney/J.A. Douglas McCurdy Airport (YQY), Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada and Shearwater Heliport (YAW), Shearwater, Nova Scotia, Canada would travel a Great Circle distance of 198 miles (or 318 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 relatively short distance between Sydney/J.A. Douglas McCurdy Airport and Shearwater Heliport, the route shown on this map most likely still appears to be a straight line.
Departure Airport Information:
| IATA / ICAO Codes: | YQY / CYQY |
| Airport Name: | Sydney/J.A. Douglas McCurdy Airport |
| Location: | Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada |
| GPS Coordinates: | 46°9'41"N by 60°2'53"W |
| Area Served: | Cape Breton Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia |
| Operator/Owner: | Transport Canada |
| Airport Type: | Public |
| Elevation: | 203 feet (62 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 2 |
| View all routes: | Routes from YQY |
| More Information: | YQY Maps & Info |
Arrival 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 |
Facts about Sydney/J.A. Douglas McCurdy Airport (YQY):
- Sydney/J.A. Douglas McCurdy Airport (YQY) has 2 runways.
- On 27 July 2009 Sydney Airport was renamed after John Alexander Douglas McCurdy, who was a Canadian aviation pioneer who first flew the Silver Dart, holder of Canada's first pilot's license and a Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia from 1947 to 1952.
- The closest airport to Sydney/J.A. Douglas McCurdy Airport (YQY) is Port Hawkesbury Airport (YPS), which is located 72 miles (117 kilometers) WSW of YQY.
- The furthest airport from Sydney/J.A. Douglas McCurdy Airport (YQY) is Albany Airport (ALH), which is located 11,654 miles (18,755 kilometers) away in Albany, Western Australia, Australia.
- Because of Sydney/J.A. Douglas McCurdy Airport's relatively low elevation of 203 feet, planes can take off or land at Sydney/J.A. Douglas McCurdy 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.
Facts about Shearwater Heliport (YAW):
- In addition to being known as "Shearwater Heliport", other names for YAW include "Halifax/Shearwater Heliport", "12 Wing Shearwater" and "CFB 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 February 1, 1968 unification of the three service branches into the Canadian Forces saw HMCS Shearwater change its name to Canadian Forces Base Shearwater.
- Shearwater Heliport's primary mission remains as a heliport in support of the Royal Canadian Navy's Maritime Forces Atlantic warships with shipborne helicopters operated by 12 Wing, a unit of the Royal Canadian Air Force.
- 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.
- By 2002 only runway 10/28 remained open.
- 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.
- The closest airport to Shearwater Heliport (YAW) is Halifax Stanfield International Airport (YHZ), which is located only 17 miles (27 kilometers) N of YAW.
- These changes allowed for heliport operations including instrument approaches and were accompanied with the construction of other non-airfield facilities in support of the Maritime Helicopter Project.
- 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.
