Nonstop flight route between Port Elizabeth, South Africa and Sumter, South Carolina, United States:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from PLZ to SSC:
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- About this route
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- Map of Furthest Airports from PLZ
- List of Furthest Airports from PLZ
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- List of Furthest Airports from SSC
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Port Elizabeth International Airport (PLZ), Port Elizabeth, South Africa and Shaw Air Force Base (SSC), Sumter, South Carolina, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 8,304 miles (or 13,364 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 Port Elizabeth International 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 Port Elizabeth International 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:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | PLZ / FAPE |
Airport Name: | Port Elizabeth International Airport |
Location: | Port Elizabeth, South Africa |
GPS Coordinates: | 33°59'4"S by 25°36'37"E |
Area Served: | Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape, South Africa |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 226 feet (69 meters) |
# of Runways: | 2 |
View all routes: | Routes from PLZ |
More Information: | PLZ Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | SSC / KSSC |
Airport Name: | Shaw Air Force Base |
Location: | Sumter, South Carolina, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 33°58'23"N by 80°28'22"W |
View all routes: | Routes from SSC |
More Information: | SSC Maps & Info |
Facts about Port Elizabeth International Airport (PLZ):
- The closest airport to Port Elizabeth International Airport (PLZ) is Port Alfred Airport (AFD), which is located 79 miles (127 kilometers) ENE of PLZ.
- The furthest airport from Port Elizabeth International Airport (PLZ) is Princeville Airport (HPV), which is located 11,567 miles (18,615 kilometers) away in Hanalei, Hawaii, United States.
- A highlight in Port Elizabeth's history was the first flight to Port Elizabeth from Cape Town in 1917, made by Major Allister Mackintosh Miller.
- During World War II, the airfield was extended to accommodate 42 Air School for the Royal Air Force and 6 Squadron South African Air Force on the southern and eastern sides of the field.
- Because of Port Elizabeth International Airport's relatively low elevation of 226 feet, planes can take off or land at Port Elizabeth International Airport 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.
- Port Elizabeth International Airport (PLZ) has 2 runways.
- In preparation for the 2010 FIFA World Cup runway 08/26 was going to be extended from 1,980m to 3,000m with a view to accommodating International flights, although this never happened.
- 17 May 2004 - John Travolta landed his personal Qantas Boeing 707 at the airport directly from Mauritius as he was visiting a nearby private game reserve.
Facts about Shaw Air Force Base (SSC):
- The 363d TFW received its first F-16 on 26 March 1982.
- The closest airport to Shaw Air Force Base (SSC) is Sumter Airport (SUM), which is located only 7 miles (11 kilometers) ENE of SSC.
- On 1 April 1945 jurisdiction of Shaw Field was transferred to First Air Force.
- In October 1942, the flight training was changed to Advanced flying training and AT-6 Texan single-engine and Beech AT-10 twin-engine trainers were used.
- Shaw Air Force Base is named in honor of World War I pilot 1st Lieutenant Ervin David Shaw.
- Shaw Army Airfield was designated a permanent Army Air Forces instantiation after the war, being transferred to Continental Air Forces on 16 April 1945.
- Jurisdiction of Shaw was again transferred to Tactical Air Command on 23 March 1946.
- 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.
- Flying activities at the field began on 22 October 1941 using Vultee BT-13 Valiants.
- 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.