Nonstop flight route between Shemya, Alaska, United States and Montluçon, France:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Eareckson Air Station (SYA), Shemya, Alaska, United States and Montluçon - Guéret Airport (MCU), Montluçon, France would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,583 miles (or 8,986 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 Montluçon - Guéret 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 Montluçon - Guéret 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 Eareckson Air Station (SYA):

• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Shemya has been the scene of two major earthquakes.
• With the exception of a small station housekeeping unit, Shemya was abandoned after the war.
• 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.
• The aerial photos taken on the raid showed the Japanese were building up forces in the area, transferring aircraft presumably from air bases on Hokkaido.
• 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.

Facts about Montluçon - Guéret Airport (MCU):

• The furthest airport from Montluçon - Guéret Airport (MCU) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is nearly antipodal to Montluçon - Guéret Airport (meaning Montluçon - Guéret Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Chatham Islands), and is located 12,260 miles (19,731 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
• Montluçon - Guéret Airport (MCU) has 2 runways.
• The closest airport to Montluçon - Guéret Airport (MCU) is Clermont-Ferrand Auvergne Airport (CFE), which is located 49 miles (79 kilometers) SE of MCU.
• In addition to being known as "Montluçon - Guéret Airport", another name for MCU is "Aéroport de Montluçon - Guéret".