Nonstop flight route between Sumter, South Carolina, United States and Aix-en-Provence / Les Milles, France:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Shaw Air Force Base (SSC), Sumter, South Carolina, United States and Aix-en-Provence Aerodrome (QXB), Aix-en-Provence / Les Milles, France would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,466 miles (or 7,187 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 Aix-en-Provence Aerodrome, 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 Aix-en-Provence Aerodrome. 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.
• On 25 June 1953, the 66th TRW departed Shaw, being reassigned to Sembach Air Base, West Germany.
• Shaw Field was activated on 30 August 1941 and placed under the jurisdiction of the Army Air Corps Southeast Air Corps Training Center.
• 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 Aix-en-Provence Aerodrome (QXB):

• Aix-en-Provence Aerodrome (QXB) currently has only 1 runway.
• The furthest airport from Aix-en-Provence Aerodrome (QXB) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is nearly antipodal to Aix-en-Provence Aerodrome (meaning Aix-en-Provence Aerodrome is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Chatham Islands), and is located 12,343 miles (19,864 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
• Because of Aix-en-Provence Aerodrome's relatively low elevation of 368 feet, planes can take off or land at Aix-en-Provence Aerodrome 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.
• In addition to being known as "Aix-en-Provence Aerodrome", other names for QXB include "'Aérodrome d'Aix-en-Provence(Advanced Landing Ground Y-15)" and "(Advanced Landing Ground Y-15)".
• The closest airport to Aix-en-Provence Aerodrome (QXB) is Marseille Provence Airport (MRS), which is located only 9 miles (14 kilometers) WSW of QXB.