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

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Shaw Air Force Base (SSC), Sumter, South Carolina, United States and Gelendzhik Airport (GDZ), Gelendzhik, Krasnodarskiy, Russia would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,780 miles (or 9,302 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 Gelendzhik 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 Gelendzhik 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.
• Jurisdiction of Shaw was again transferred to Tactical Air Command on 23 March 1946.
• On 23 September 1949 the 161st Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron was transferred to the 20th from the 363d Tactical Reconnaissance Wing at Langley AFB Virginia.
• The closest airport to Shaw Air Force Base (SSC) is Sumter Airport (SUM), which is located only 7 miles (11 kilometers) ENE of SSC.
• Shaw AFB is home base of the USAF 20th Fighter Wing, which flies F-16CJ Fighting Falcons.
• By 1980, the advent of reconnaissance satellites made the need for tactical aircraft reconnaissance less and less necessary.
• The squadrons flew the P-61 Black Widow in Europe with Ninth Air Force during World War II, and were reassigned back to the United States after the end of hostilities.

Facts about Gelendzhik Airport (GDZ):

• The furthest airport from Gelendzhik Airport (GDZ) is Totegegie Airport (GMR), which is located 10,899 miles (17,540 kilometers) away in Mangareva, Gambier Islands, French Polynesia.
• Gelendzhik Airport (GDZ) currently has only 1 runway.
• The closest airport to Gelendzhik Airport (GDZ) is Anapa Airport (AAQ), which is located 44 miles (71 kilometers) NW of GDZ.
• In addition to being known as "Gelendzhik Airport", another name for GDZ is "Аэропорт Геленджик".
• Because of Gelendzhik Airport's relatively low elevation of 88 feet, planes can take off or land at Gelendzhik 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.