Nonstop flight route between Sumter, South Carolina, United States and Cusco, Cusco Region, Peru:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Shaw Air Force Base (SSC), Sumter, South Carolina, United States and Alejandro Velasco Astete International Airport (CUZ), Cusco, Cusco Region, Peru would travel a Great Circle distance of 3,330 miles (or 5,359 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 Alejandro Velasco Astete International 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 Alejandro Velasco Astete International 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):

• After the establishment of the United States Air Force as a separate military branch in September 1947, Shaw Army Airfield was renamed Shaw Air Force Base, on 13 January 1948 and the 20th Fighter-Bomber Wing was activated on 15 August 1947 with the implementation of the Hobson Plan.
• The 432nd's mission at Shaw AFB was to assume the reconnaissance training mission that was handled previously by the 363d TRW.
• The 66th TRW was formed at Shaw from the RB-26 assets of the 18th TRS and RF-80s transferred from South Korea.
• The closest airport to Shaw Air Force Base (SSC) is Sumter Airport (SUM), which is located only 7 miles (11 kilometers) ENE of 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.
• 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.
• Shaw Army Airfield was designated a permanent Army Air Forces instantiation after the war, being transferred to Continental Air Forces on 16 April 1945.
• On 9 August 1990, the 17th and 33d TFS of 363d TFW became the first F-16 squadrons to deploy to the United Arab Emirates in Operation Desert Shield.

Facts about Alejandro Velasco Astete International Airport (CUZ):

• It was named in honor of the Peruvian pilot Alejandro Velasco Astete who was the first pilot to cross the Andes in 1925.
• The furthest airport from Alejandro Velasco Astete International Airport (CUZ) is Buon Ma Thuot Airport (BMV), which is nearly antipodal to Alejandro Velasco Astete International Airport (meaning Alejandro Velasco Astete International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Buon Ma Thuot Airport), and is located 12,377 miles (19,918 kilometers) away in Buon Me Thuot, Vietnam.
• On August 9, 1970, LANSA Flight 502, a four-engine engine Lockheed L-188A Electra turboprop, crashed shortly after takeoff from the Cusco airport, killing 99 of the 100 people on board, plus two people on the ground, in the deadliest accident in Peru's aviation history to that date.
• Because of Alejandro Velasco Astete International Airport's high elevation of 10,860 feet, planes must typically fly at a faster airspeed in order to takeoff or land at CUZ. Combined with a high temperature, this could make CUZ a "Hot & High" airport, where the air density is lower than it would otherwise be at sea level.
• Previously, the airport was served by American Airlines on a JFK-LIM-CUZ-LIM-JFK routing in the late 90s using Boeing 757-200 aircraft.
• Alejandro Velasco Astete International Airport (CUZ) currently has only 1 runway.
• The closest airport to Alejandro Velasco Astete International Airport (CUZ) is Andahuaylas Airport (ANS), which is located 95 miles (154 kilometers) W of CUZ.
• In addition to being known as "Alejandro Velasco Astete International Airport", another name for CUZ is "Aeropuerto Internacional Alejandro Velasco Astete".