Nonstop flight route between Sumter, South Carolina, United States and Koliganek, Alaska, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Shaw Air Force Base (SSC), Sumter, South Carolina, United States and Koliganek Airport (KGK), Koliganek, Alaska, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 3,778 miles (or 6,080 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 Koliganek 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 Koliganek 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):

• For a brief time, Shaw Field also served as a prisoner-of-war camp.
• Shaw Air Force Base is a United States Military facility located approximately 8.4 miles west-northwest of Sumter, South Carolina.
• The closest airport to Shaw Air Force Base (SSC) is Sumter Airport (SUM), which is located only 7 miles (11 kilometers) ENE of SSC.
• Flying activities at the field began on 22 October 1941 using Vultee BT-13 Valiants.
• Shaw Field was activated on 30 August 1941 and placed under the jurisdiction of the Army Air Corps Southeast Air Corps Training Center.
• 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.
• With the closure of Myrtle Beach Air Force Base South Carolina and the inactivation of the 354th Fighter Wing, the 21st Tactical Fighter Squadron was activated at Shaw and received 30 Republic A/OA-10 Thunderbolt IIs from the inactivating 355th Fighter Squadron on 1 April 1992.
• 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 Koliganek Airport (KGK):

• This airport opened in 1997, replacing the former airport located at 59°43′28″N 157°17′09″W / 59.72444°N 157.28583°W / 59.72444.
• The furthest airport from Koliganek Airport (KGK) is George Airport (GRJ), which is located 10,660 miles (17,155 kilometers) away in George, South Africa.
• The closest airport to Koliganek Airport (KGK) is New Stuyahok Airport (KNW), which is located only 19 miles (31 kilometers) SSW of KGK.
• As per Federal Aviation Administration records, this airport had 481 commercial passenger boardings in calendar year 2008, a decrease of 21% from the 606 enplanements in 2007.
• In addition to being known as "Koliganek Airport", other names for KGK include "Koliganek Airport (new location)" and "JZZ".
• Because of Koliganek Airport's relatively low elevation of 269 feet, planes can take off or land at Koliganek 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.
• Koliganek Airport (KGK) currently has only 1 runway.