Nonstop flight route between Pinehurst / Southern Pines, North Carolina, United States and Upington, South Africa:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from SOP to UTN:
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- About this route
- SOP Airport Information
- UTN Airport Information
- Facts about SOP
- Facts about UTN
- Map of Nearest Airports to SOP
- List of Nearest Airports to SOP
- Map of Furthest Airports from SOP
- List of Furthest Airports from SOP
- Map of Nearest Airports to UTN
- List of Nearest Airports to UTN
- Map of Furthest Airports from UTN
- List of Furthest Airports from UTN
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Moore County Airport (SOP), Pinehurst / Southern Pines, North Carolina, United States and Upington Airport (UTN), Upington, South Africa would travel a Great Circle distance of 7,879 miles (or 12,680 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 Moore County Airport and Upington Airport, 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 Moore County Airport and Upington Airport. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure Airport Information:
| IATA / ICAO Codes: | SOP / KSOP |
| Airport Name: | Moore County Airport |
| Location: | Pinehurst / Southern Pines, North Carolina, United States |
| GPS Coordinates: | 35°14'13"N by 79°23'27"W |
| Operator/Owner: | Moore County |
| Airport Type: | Public |
| Elevation: | 461 feet (141 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 1 |
| View all routes: | Routes from SOP |
| More Information: | SOP Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
| IATA / ICAO Codes: | UTN / FAUP |
| Airport Name: | Upington Airport |
| Location: | Upington, South Africa |
| GPS Coordinates: | 28°24'3"S by 21°15'34"E |
| Area Served: | Upington, Northern Cape |
| Airport Type: | Public (International for Cargo only) |
| Elevation: | 2791 feet (851 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 3 |
| View all routes: | Routes from UTN |
| More Information: | UTN Maps & Info |
Facts about Moore County Airport (SOP):
- The closest airport to Moore County Airport (SOP) is Mackall Army Airfield (HFF), which is located only 15 miles (24 kilometers) SSW of SOP.
- Because of Moore County Airport's relatively low elevation of 461 feet, planes can take off or land at Moore County 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.
- However, a recent court ruling said the village had no legal jurisdiction over the airport because it operates under an independent authority that was established in 1993.
- The rift was exacerbated by the Airport Authority's $2 million proposal which was approved by lawmakers, to build several large hangars using taxpayer funds.
- Most of the Moore County Airport property lies within the extraterritorial jurisdiction of Whispering Pines, NC, prompting debate over who had ultimate regulatory power over it — the village of Whispering Pines or the Moore County Airport Authority.
- Moore County Airport is a public airport located 3 miles north of Southern Pines and 5 miles northeast of Pinehurst, in Moore County, North Carolina, USA.
- Moore County Airport (SOP) currently has only 1 runway.
- The furthest airport from Moore County Airport (SOP) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,608 miles (18,682 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
Facts about Upington Airport (UTN):
- Upington Airport's runway was built to accommodate a Boeing 747 with a full load of passengers, cargo and fuel, so that it could take off for Europe without having to stop along the way.
- The closest airport to Upington Airport (UTN) is Johan Pienaar Airport (KMH), which is located 147 miles (236 kilometers) ENE of UTN.
- Private charter flights are provided by Walker Flying Services who operates Cessna 210 and Cessna 402 aircraft.
- The furthest airport from Upington Airport (UTN) is Princeville Airport (HPV), which is nearly antipodal to Upington Airport (meaning Upington Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Princeville Airport), and is located 12,007 miles (19,323 kilometers) away in Hanalei, Hawaii, United States.
- From August 1976 to December 1996, South African Airways made use of Upington as a refuelling station for two weekly scheduled Boeing 747 flights to London and Zurich.
- Upington Airport (UTN) has 3 runways.
