Nonstop flight route between Sumter, South Carolina, United States and Shchyolkovo (Moscow Oblast), Russia:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Shaw Air Force Base (SSC), Sumter, South Carolina, United States and Chkalovsky Airport (CKL), Shchyolkovo (Moscow Oblast), Russia would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,257 miles (or 8,461 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 Chkalovsky 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 Chkalovsky 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 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.
• For a brief time, Shaw Field also served as a prisoner-of-war camp.
• On 25 June 1953, the 66th TRW departed Shaw, being reassigned to Sembach Air Base, West Germany.
• As a result of the August 1992 destruction of Homestead AFB Florida by Hurricane Andrew in September 1992, the 31st Fighter Wing's 309th Fighter Squadron was initially evacuated to Shaw AFB prior to the hurricane making landfall.
• 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.

Facts about Chkalovsky Airport (CKL):

• The closest airport to Chkalovsky Airport (CKL) is Bykovo Airport (BKA), which is located only 18 miles (28 kilometers) S of CKL.
• The furthest airport from Chkalovsky Airport (CKL) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is located 10,712 miles (17,240 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
• In addition to being known as "Chkalovsky Airport", another name for CKL is "Чкаловский (аэропорт)".
• Chkalovsky Airport (CKL) currently has only 1 runway.
• Because of Chkalovsky Airport's relatively low elevation of 499 feet, planes can take off or land at Chkalovsky 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.