Nonstop flight route between Shemya, Alaska, United States and San Juan Island, Washington, United States:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from SYA to RCE:
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- About this route
- SYA Airport Information
- RCE Airport Information
- Facts about SYA
- Facts about RCE
- 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 RCE
- List of Nearest Airports to RCE
- Map of Furthest Airports from RCE
- List of Furthest Airports from RCE
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Eareckson Air Station (SYA), Shemya, Alaska, United States and Roche Harbor Seaplane Base (RCE), San Juan Island, Washington, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 2,674 miles (or 4,303 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 Roche Harbor Seaplane Base, 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 Roche Harbor Seaplane Base. 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: |
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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: | RCE / |
Airport Names: |
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Location: | San Juan Island, Washington, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 48°36'29"N by 123°9'34"W |
Area Served: | Roche Harbor, Washington |
Operator/Owner: | Roche Harbor Resort |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 0 feet (0 meters) |
# of Runways: | 2 |
View all routes: | Routes from RCE |
More Information: | RCE Maps & Info |
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.
- The Korean War brought extensive use by the Military Air Transport Service for the logistical support of Korea and Japan.
- 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.
- It also became a Strategic Air Command refueling site for B-52 Stratofortress bombers and KC-135 tankers as part of Operation Chrome Dome.
- Eareckson Air Station (SYA) currently has only 1 runway.
- 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.
- Additional aircraft and personnel reductions occurred in 1945 and almost all air bases other than Alexi Point, Shemya and Davis in the Aleutians were reduced to caretaker status.
- In addition to being known as "Eareckson Air Station", other names for SYA include "Shemya Air Force Base", "Shemya Army Airfield" and " ".
- 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.
- 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 exception of a small station housekeeping unit, Shemya was abandoned after the war.
Facts about Roche Harbor Seaplane Base (RCE):
- Roche Harbor Seaplane Base (RCE) has 2 runways.
- The furthest airport from Roche Harbor Seaplane Base (RCE) is Tôlanaro Airport (FTU), which is located 10,722 miles (17,256 kilometers) away in Tôlanaro, Madagascar.
- The closest airport to Roche Harbor Seaplane Base (RCE) is Friday Harbor Seaplane Base (FBS), which is located only 8 miles (14 kilometers) SE of RCE.
- In addition to being known as "Roche Harbor Seaplane Base", another name for RCE is "W39".
- Because of Roche Harbor Seaplane Base's relatively low elevation of 0 feet, planes can take off or land at Roche Harbor Seaplane Base 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.