Nonstop flight route between Sumter, South Carolina, United States and Chelyabinsk, Russia:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Shaw Air Force Base (SSC), Sumter, South Carolina, United States and Chelyabinsk Airport (CEK), Chelyabinsk, Russia would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,871 miles (or 9,449 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 Chelyabinsk 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 Chelyabinsk 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):

• 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.
• By 1980, the advent of reconnaissance satellites made the need for tactical aircraft reconnaissance less and less necessary.
• For a brief time, Shaw Field also served as a prisoner-of-war camp.
• The closest airport to Shaw Air Force Base (SSC) is Sumter Airport (SUM), which is located only 7 miles (11 kilometers) ENE of SSC.
• Jurisdiction of Shaw was again transferred to Tactical Air Command on 23 March 1946.

Facts about Chelyabinsk Airport (CEK):

• Chelyabinsk Airport (CEK) currently has only 1 runway.
• The furthest airport from Chelyabinsk Airport (CEK) is Teniente Julio Gallardo Airfield (PNT), which is located 10,566 miles (17,004 kilometers) away in Puerto Natales, Chile.
• The closest airport to Chelyabinsk Airport (CEK) is Koltsovo Airport (SVX), which is located 103 miles (166 kilometers) NNW of CEK.
• Because of Chelyabinsk Airport's relatively low elevation of 741 feet, planes can take off or land at Chelyabinsk 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.
• In addition to being known as "Chelyabinsk Airport", another name for CEK is "Аэропорт Челябинск".