Nonstop flight route between Al Ghaydah, Yemen and Sumter, South Carolina, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Al Ghaydha Airport (AAY), Al Ghaydah, Yemen and Shaw Air Force Base (SSC), Sumter, South Carolina, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 7,777 miles (or 12,516 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 Al Ghaydha 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 Al Ghaydha 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 Al Ghaydha Airport (AAY):

• The closest airport to Al Ghaydha Airport (AAY) is Salalah Airport (SLL), which is located 140 miles (225 kilometers) ENE of AAY.
• Al Ghaydha Airport (AAY) currently has only 1 runway.
• Because of Al Ghaydha Airport's relatively low elevation of 134 feet, planes can take off or land at Al Ghaydha 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.
• The furthest airport from Al Ghaydha Airport (AAY) is Pukarua Airport (PUK), which is located 11,813 miles (19,012 kilometers) away in Pukarua, Tuamotus, French Polynesia.

Facts about Shaw Air Force Base (SSC):

• On 23 September 1949 the 161st Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron was transferred to the 20th from the 363d Tactical Reconnaissance Wing at Langley AFB Virginia.
• Flying activities at the field began on 22 October 1941 using Vultee BT-13 Valiants.
• 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 66th TRW was formed at Shaw from the RB-26 assets of the 18th TRS and RF-80s transferred from South Korea.
• 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 432nd's mission at Shaw AFB was to assume the reconnaissance training mission that was handled previously by the 363d TRW.
• The 363d TFW received its first F-16 on 26 March 1982.