Nonstop flight route between Grovedale, Victoria, Australia and Sumter, South Carolina, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Geelong Airport (GEX), Grovedale, Victoria, Australia and Shaw Air Force Base (SSC), Sumter, South Carolina, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 9,943 miles (or 16,001 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 Geelong 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 Geelong 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 Geelong Airport (GEX):

• Because of Geelong Airport's relatively low elevation of 140 feet, planes can take off or land at Geelong 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 Geelong Airport (GEX) is Flores Airport (FLW), which is nearly antipodal to Geelong Airport (meaning Geelong Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Flores Airport), and is located 12,178 miles (19,599 kilometers) away in Flores Island, Azores, Portugal.
• The closest airport to Geelong Airport (GEX) is Avalon Airport (AVV), which is located only 16 miles (25 kilometers) NW of GEX.

Facts about Shaw Air Force Base (SSC):

• Flying activities at the field began on 22 October 1941 using Vultee BT-13 Valiants.
• Over the next four decades, the squadrons under the 363d TRW changed frequently.
• By 1980, the advent of reconnaissance satellites made the need for tactical aircraft reconnaissance less and less necessary.
• 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 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 20th FG was reassigned to Langley AFB, Virginia on 1 December 1951 in preparation for a permanent overseas deployment to RAF Wethersfield, England to support NATO.