Nonstop flight route between Shemya, Alaska, United States and Grande Prairie, Alberta, Canada:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from SYA to YQU:
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- About this route
- SYA Airport Information
- YQU Airport Information
- Facts about SYA
- Facts about YQU
- 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 YQU
- List of Nearest Airports to YQU
- Map of Furthest Airports from YQU
- List of Furthest Airports from YQU
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Eareckson Air Station (SYA), Shemya, Alaska, United States and Grande Prairie Airport (YQU), Grande Prairie, Alberta, Canada would travel a Great Circle distance of 2,624 miles (or 4,222 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 Grande Prairie 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 Grande Prairie 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: | YQU / CYQU |
Airport Name: | Grande Prairie Airport |
Location: | Grande Prairie, Alberta, Canada |
GPS Coordinates: | 55°10'47"N by 118°53'4"W |
Operator/Owner: | Grande Prairie Airport Commission |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 2195 feet (669 meters) |
# of Runways: | 2 |
View all routes: | Routes from YQU |
More Information: | YQU Maps & Info |
Facts about Eareckson Air Station (SYA):
- 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.
- With the successful completion of the Aleutian Campaign in August 1943, Eleventh Air Force came within striking distance of the Japanese Kurile Islands, the northernmost being 750 miles to the south-southwest of Shemya.
- 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 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.
- 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.
- The limited resources assigned to the Eleventh Air Force meant only a limited number of missions could be carried out over the Kuriles.
- In addition to being known as "Eareckson Air Station", other names for SYA include "Shemya Air Force Base", "Shemya Army Airfield" and " ".
- With the exception of a small station housekeeping unit, Shemya was abandoned after the war.
- On 6 April 1993, Shemya Air Force Base was renamed Eareckson Air Station.
- The 404th Bombardment Squadron flew B-24 Liberator heavy bombers along with one Beechcraft AT-7, which was used for navigator training.
- The spring of 1944 brought improving weather and the B-24s and PV-1s to fly more missions over the Kuriles.
- 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.
- Eareckson Air Station (SYA) currently has only 1 runway.
Facts about Grande Prairie Airport (YQU):
- Grande Prairie Airport (YQU) has 2 runways.
- The furthest airport from Grande Prairie Airport (YQU) is Tôlanaro Airport (FTU), which is located 10,233 miles (16,469 kilometers) away in Tôlanaro, Madagascar.
- The closest airport to Grande Prairie Airport (YQU) is Dawson Creek Airport (YDQ), which is located 64 miles (103 kilometers) NW of YQU.