Nonstop flight route between Qaarsut / Uummannaq, Greenland and Sumter, South Carolina, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Qaarsut Airport (JQA), Qaarsut / Uummannaq, Greenland and Shaw Air Force Base (SSC), Sumter, South Carolina, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 2,742 miles (or 4,412 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 Qaarsut 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 Qaarsut 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 Qaarsut Airport (JQA):

• The closest airport to Qaarsut Airport (JQA) is Uummannaq Heliport (UMD), which is located only 14 miles (22 kilometers) ESE of JQA.
• Qaarsut Airport handled 7,105 passengers last year.
• In addition to being known as "Qaarsut Airport", other names for JQA include "Mittarfik Qaarsut" and "Uummannaq/Qaarsut Airport".
• Qaarsut Airport (JQA) currently has only 1 runway.
• The furthest airport from Qaarsut Airport (JQA) is Hobart International Airport (HBA), which is located 10,387 miles (16,716 kilometers) away in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia.
• Proposals to close the airport have to date been rejected.Sunk costs, tourism potential for northwestern and northern Greenland, and the 2010 reinvigoration of the mining activities in Maamorilik northeast of Ukkusissat, as well as on Appat Island in the future−are the primary reasons for keeping the airport open.
• Because of Qaarsut Airport's relatively low elevation of 289 feet, planes can take off or land at Qaarsut 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 decision to build the airport in Qaarsut was intended to solve the bottleneck on the Ilulissat-Uummannaq route, until then operated by Air Greenland with Sikorsky S-61N helicopters.

Facts about Shaw Air Force Base (SSC):

• It is one of the largest military bases operated by the United States, and is one of only two air bases in CONUS with an active railroad line.
• On 1 April 1951, the 363d TRW was transferred to Shaw from Langley Air Force Base, Virginia The 363d Tactical Reconnaissance Wing would remain at Shaw, under various designations, for the next 43 years.
• 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.
• 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.
• On 23 September 1949 the 161st Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron was transferred to the 20th from the 363d Tactical Reconnaissance Wing at Langley AFB Virginia.
• 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 363d TFW received its first F-16 on 26 March 1982.