Nonstop flight route between Shemya, Alaska, United States and Ikela, Democratic Republic of the Congo:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from SYA to IKL:
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- About this route
- SYA Airport Information
- IKL Airport Information
- Facts about SYA
- Facts about IKL
- Map of Nearest Airports to SYA
- List of Nearest Airports to SYA
- Map of Furthest Airports from SYA
- List of Furthest Airports from SYA
- Map of Nearest Airports to IKL
- List of Nearest Airports to IKL
- Map of Furthest Airports from IKL
- List of Furthest Airports from IKL
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Eareckson Air Station (SYA), Shemya, Alaska, United States and Ikela Airport (IKL), Ikela, Democratic Republic of the Congo would travel a Great Circle distance of 8,503 miles (or 13,684 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 Eareckson Air Station and Ikela 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 Eareckson Air Station and Ikela Airport. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | SYA / PASY |
Airport Names: |
|
Location: | Shemya, Alaska, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 52°42'43"N by 174°6'48"E |
Operator/Owner: | U.S. Air Force |
Airport Type: | Military |
Elevation: | 97 feet (30 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from SYA |
More Information: | SYA Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | IKL / FZGV |
Airport Name: | Ikela Airport |
Location: | Ikela, Democratic Republic of the Congo |
GPS Coordinates: | 1°11'59"S by 23°16'58"E |
Area Served: | Ikela, Democratic Republic of the Congo |
Elevation: | 1283 feet (391 meters) |
View all routes: | Routes from IKL |
More Information: | IKL Maps & Info |
Facts about Eareckson Air Station (SYA):
- Shemya also continued to support the Great Circle Route for MATS and later Military Airlift Command transports between Japan and Elmendorf AFB.
- In addition to being known as "Eareckson Air Station", other names for SYA include "Shemya Air Force Base", "Shemya Army Airfield" and " ".
- The spring of 1944 brought improving weather and the B-24s and PV-1s to fly more missions over 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.
- Eareckson Air Station is located on the western tip of Alaska's Aleutian islands near the larger island of Attu, and is located approximately 1500 miles southwest of Anchorage.
- 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.
- 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?".
- The mission of Eleventh Air Force was to take advantage of the new airfields on Shemya and Attu, and carry out offensive operations against the enemy forces in the Kuriles.
- 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.
- The station was also used by SAC Cobra Ball and other related projects which monitored missile-associated signals and tracks missiles during boost and re-entry phases to provide reconnaissance for treaty verification and theater ballistic missile proliferation.
- The Korean War brought extensive use by the Military Air Transport Service for the logistical support of Korea and Japan.
Facts about Ikela Airport (IKL):
- The closest airport to Ikela Airport (IKL) is Lodja Airport (LJA), which is located 152 miles (245 kilometers) S of IKL.
- The furthest airport from Ikela Airport (IKL) is Cassidy International Airport (CXI), which is nearly antipodal to Ikela Airport (meaning Ikela Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Cassidy International Airport), and is located 12,367 miles (19,903 kilometers) away in Christmas Island, Kiribati.