Nonstop flight route between Sumter, South Carolina, United States and Mansa, Luapula Province, Zambia:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Shaw Air Force Base (SSC), Sumter, South Carolina, United States and Mansa Airport (MNS), Mansa, Luapula Province, Zambia would travel a Great Circle distance of 7,751 miles (or 12,474 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 Mansa 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 Mansa 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 20th Fighter Group was first equipped with North American P-51D, then exchanged its P-51's in February 1948 for F-84B Thunderjets, the first TAC group to receive operational F-84s.
• The closest airport to Shaw Air Force Base (SSC) is Sumter Airport (SUM), which is located only 7 miles (11 kilometers) ENE of 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.
• By 1980, the advent of reconnaissance satellites made the need for tactical aircraft reconnaissance less and less necessary.
• Shaw Army Airfield was designated a permanent Army Air Forces instantiation after the war, being transferred to Continental Air Forces on 16 April 1945.
• 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.
• On 25 June 1953, the 66th TRW departed Shaw, being reassigned to Sembach Air Base, West Germany.
• On March 23, 1953, the 432d Tactical Reconnaissance Group was activated at Shaw.

Facts about Mansa Airport (MNS):

• Mansa Airport (MNS) currently has only 1 runway.
• Because of Mansa Airport's high elevation of 4,100 feet, planes must typically fly at a faster airspeed in order to takeoff or land at MNS. Combined with a high temperature, this could make MNS a "Hot & High" airport, where the air density is lower than it would otherwise be at sea level.
• The furthest airport from Mansa Airport (MNS) is Hilo International Airport (ITO), which is located 11,789 miles (18,972 kilometers) away in Hilo, Hawaii, United States.
• The closest airport to Mansa Airport (MNS) is Lubumbashi International Airport (FBM), which is located 96 miles (155 kilometers) WSW of MNS.