Nonstop flight route between Sumter, South Carolina, United States and Nyingchi, Tibet Autonomous Region, China:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Shaw Air Force Base (SSC), Sumter, South Carolina, United States and Nyingchi Mainling Airport (LZY), Nyingchi, Tibet Autonomous Region, China would travel a Great Circle distance of 8,052 miles (or 12,958 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 Nyingchi Mainling 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 Nyingchi Mainling 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.
• 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.
• For a brief time, Shaw Field also served as a prisoner-of-war camp.
• By 1980, the advent of reconnaissance satellites made the need for tactical aircraft reconnaissance less and less necessary.
• The 432nd's mission at Shaw AFB was to assume the reconnaissance training mission that was handled previously by the 363d TRW.

Facts about Nyingchi Mainling Airport (LZY):

• Nyingchi Airport is the third airport that Tibet has put into operation.
• The first landing of a commercial aircraft was made by an Air China Boeing 757 without passengers on July 12, 2006.
• The closest airport to Nyingchi Mainling Airport (LZY) is Along Airport (IXV), which is located 83 miles (133 kilometers) SSE of LZY.
• In addition to being known as "Nyingchi Mainling Airport", other names for LZY include "林芝米林机场" and "Línzhī Mǐlín Jīchǎng".
• The furthest airport from Nyingchi Mainling Airport (LZY) is La Florida Airport (LSC), which is located 11,567 miles (18,616 kilometers) away in La Serena, Chile.
• Nyingchi Mainling Airport (LZY) currently has only 1 runway.
• Because of Nyingchi Mainling Airport's high elevation of 9,675 feet, planes must typically fly at a faster airspeed in order to takeoff or land at LZY. Combined with a high temperature, this could make LZY a "Hot & High" airport, where the air density is lower than it would otherwise be at sea level.