Nonstop flight route between Sumter, South Carolina, United States and Biratnagar, Nepal:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Shaw Air Force Base (SSC), Sumter, South Carolina, United States and Biratnagar Airport (BIR), Biratnagar, Nepal would travel a Great Circle distance of 8,183 miles (or 13,169 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 Shaw Air Force Base and Biratnagar 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 Shaw Air Force Base and Biratnagar Airport. 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 Shaw Air Force Base (SSC):

• Shaw Army Airfield was designated a permanent Army Air Forces instantiation after the war, being transferred to Continental Air Forces on 16 April 1945.
• By 1980, the advent of reconnaissance satellites made the need for tactical aircraft reconnaissance less and less necessary.
• On March 23, 1953, the 432d Tactical Reconnaissance Group was activated at Shaw.
• 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.
• For a brief time, Shaw Field also served as a prisoner-of-war camp.
• The 432nd's mission at Shaw AFB was to assume the reconnaissance training mission that was handled previously by the 363d TRW.
• The closest airport to Shaw Air Force Base (SSC) is Sumter Airport (SUM), which is located only 7 miles (11 kilometers) ENE of SSC.

Facts about Biratnagar Airport (BIR):

• List of airports in Nepal
• The airport boasts the highest domestic traffic.
• The furthest airport from Biratnagar Airport (BIR) is Mataveri International Airport (IPC), which is located 11,408 miles (18,359 kilometers) away in Easter Island, Chile.
• The closest airport to Biratnagar Airport (BIR) is Bhojpur Airport (BHP), which is located 48 miles (77 kilometers) NNW of BIR.
• Biratnagar Airport (BIR) currently has only 1 runway.
• Because of Biratnagar Airport's relatively low elevation of 236 feet, planes can take off or land at Biratnagar 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.