Nonstop flight route between Mfuwe, Eastern Province, Zambia and Sumter, South Carolina, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Mfuwe Airport (MFU), Mfuwe, Eastern Province, Zambia and Shaw Air Force Base (SSC), Sumter, South Carolina, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 8,004 miles (or 12,881 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 Mfuwe Airport and Shaw Air Force 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 Mfuwe Airport and Shaw Air Force Base. 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 Mfuwe Airport (MFU):

• The furthest airport from Mfuwe Airport (MFU) is Hilo International Airport (ITO), which is located 11,794 miles (18,981 kilometers) away in Hilo, Hawaii, United States.
• The closest airport to Mfuwe Airport (MFU) is Chipata Airport (CIP), which is located 48 miles (78 kilometers) ESE of MFU.
• Mfuwe Airport (MFU) currently has only 1 runway.

Facts about Shaw Air Force Base (SSC):

• The 20th Fighter Group was first equipped with North American P-51D, then exchanged its P-51's in February 1948 for F-84B Thunderjets, the first TAC group to receive operational F-84s.
• The furthest airport from Shaw Air Force Base (SSC) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,545 miles (18,580 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
• The group initially conducted training with two squadrons flying the Republic RF-84F "Thunderflash" and two squadrons Group, was a part of Strategic Air Command from July 1947 – May 1951, at Barksdale AFB, Louisiana as an Air Force Reserve corollary unit under the guidance of active duty units in order to train and maintain currency in reconnaissance operations for its reserve personnel.
• The closest airport to Shaw Air Force Base (SSC) is Sumter Airport (SUM), which is located only 7 miles (11 kilometers) ENE of SSC.
• The squadrons flew the P-61 Black Widow in Europe with Ninth Air Force during World War II, and were reassigned back to the United States after the end of hostilities.
• With the closure of Myrtle Beach Air Force Base South Carolina and the inactivation of the 354th Fighter Wing, the 21st Tactical Fighter Squadron was activated at Shaw and received 30 Republic A/OA-10 Thunderbolt IIs from the inactivating 355th Fighter Squadron on 1 April 1992.
• For a brief time, Shaw Field also served as a prisoner-of-war camp.
• On 1 April 1945 jurisdiction of Shaw Field was transferred to First Air Force.
• Over the next four decades, the squadrons under the 363d TRW changed frequently.