Nonstop flight route between Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada and Shemya, Alaska, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Erik Nielsen Whitehorse International Airport (YXY), Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada and Eareckson Air Station (SYA), Shemya, Alaska, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 1,950 miles (or 3,138 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 Erik Nielsen Whitehorse International Airport and Eareckson Air Station, the route shown on this map most likely still appears to be a straight line.

Departure Airport Information:

Arrival Airport Information:

Facts about Erik Nielsen Whitehorse International Airport (YXY):

• Built between 1940 and 1941 by the federal Department of Transport, it was transferred to the RCAF in 1942 as part of the Northwest Staging Route under the name of RCAF Station Whitehorse.
• Erik Nielsen Whitehorse International Airport is located in Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada.
• The airport's parking lot is graced by an old Canadian Pacific Airlines Douglas DC-3 on a pedestal that serves as a weather vane.
• Erik Nielsen Whitehorse International Airport (YXY) has 3 runways.
• The airport has two fixed base operator for fuel, limited aircraft maintenance facilities.
• In addition to being known as "Erik Nielsen Whitehorse International Airport", another name for YXY is "Whitehorse/Erik Nielsen International Airport".
• Whitehorse is also a major stopover point for private flyers who make the trip to and from Alaska.
• The closest airport to Erik Nielsen Whitehorse International Airport (YXY) is Haines Junction Airport (YHT), which is located 84 miles (135 kilometers) W of YXY.
• The furthest airport from Erik Nielsen Whitehorse International Airport (YXY) is Port Elizabeth International Airport (PLZ), which is located 10,398 miles (16,734 kilometers) away in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.

Facts about Eareckson Air Station (SYA):

• 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.
• In addition to being known as "Eareckson Air Station", other names for SYA include "Shemya Air Force Base", "Shemya Army Airfield" and "  ".
• Eareckson Air Station (SYA) currently has only 1 runway.
• 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.
• A second attack by B-24 Liberators was launched from Alexai Point and Shemya on 18 July.
• The base host squadron was re-designated the 5073rd Air Base Squadron on October 1962, and upgraded to a group on 15 October 1974 in recognition of the number and complexities of the tenant units it supported.
• 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.
• The news of the surrender of the Japanese was met with enthusiasm, the biggest topic was "When do we go home?".
• Shemya also continued to support the Great Circle Route for MATS and later Military Airlift Command transports between Japan and Elmendorf AFB.
• By the end of 1944, several hundred American airmen had been interned by the Russians after their crippled aircraft landed on Petropavlovsk on the Kamchatka Peninsula.