Nonstop flight route between Sumter, South Carolina, United States and Kassel, Hesse, Germany:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Shaw Air Force Base (SSC), Sumter, South Carolina, United States and Kassel Calden Airport (KSF), Kassel, Hesse, Germany would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,423 miles (or 7,119 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 Kassel Calden 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 Kassel Calden 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 432nd's mission at Shaw AFB was to assume the reconnaissance training mission that was handled previously by the 363d TRW.
• For a brief time, Shaw Field also served as a prisoner-of-war camp.
• 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.
• The closest airport to Shaw Air Force Base (SSC) is Sumter Airport (SUM), which is located only 7 miles (11 kilometers) ENE of SSC.
• By 1980, the advent of reconnaissance satellites made the need for tactical aircraft reconnaissance less and less necessary.
• 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.

Facts about Kassel Calden Airport (KSF):

• The new airport faced several struggles when opened.
• The closest airport to Kassel Calden Airport (KSF) is Fritzlar Air Base (FRZ), which is located 22 miles (35 kilometers) SSW of KSF.
• The nearest other minor international airport is Paderborn Lippstadt Airport approx.
• Kassel Calden Airport (KSF) has 3 runways.
• Because of Kassel Calden Airport's relatively low elevation of 820 feet, planes can take off or land at Kassel Calden 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.
• The furthest airport from Kassel Calden Airport (KSF) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is located 11,845 miles (19,063 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
• In addition to being known as "Kassel Calden Airport", another name for KSF is "Flughafen Kassel-Calden".