Nonstop flight route between Sumter, South Carolina, United States and Lubango, Angola:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Shaw Air Force Base (SSC), Sumter, South Carolina, United States and Lubango Mukanka Airport (SDD), Lubango, Angola would travel a Great Circle distance of 7,018 miles (or 11,294 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 Lubango Mukanka 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 Lubango Mukanka 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):

• 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 23 September 1949 the 161st Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron was transferred to the 20th from the 363d Tactical Reconnaissance Wing at Langley AFB Virginia.
• The 66th TRW was formed at Shaw from the RB-26 assets of the 18th TRS and RF-80s transferred from South Korea.
• The closest airport to Shaw Air Force Base (SSC) is Sumter Airport (SUM), which is located only 7 miles (11 kilometers) ENE of SSC.
• Following Desert Storm, the 19th and 33d Tactical Fighter Squadrons deployed to the Persian Gulf in support of Operation Southern Watch, a coalition effort to enforce the Iraqi "No Fly Zone" south of the 32nd parallel north.
• The 432nd's mission at Shaw AFB was to assume the reconnaissance training mission that was handled previously by the 363d TRW.
• Shaw Air Force Base is named in honor of World War I pilot 1st Lieutenant Ervin David Shaw.
• 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.
• 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.

Facts about Lubango Mukanka Airport (SDD):

• In addition to being known as "Lubango Mukanka Airport", other names for SDD include "Aeroporto Lubango Mukanka (Lubango (Sá da Bandeira))" and "Aeroporto de Lubango".
• The furthest airport from Lubango Mukanka Airport (SDD) is Johnston Atoll Airport (JON), which is nearly antipodal to Lubango Mukanka Airport (meaning Lubango Mukanka Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Johnston Atoll Airport), and is located 12,195 miles (19,627 kilometers) away in Johnston Atoll, U.S. Minor Outlying Islands.
• Lubango Mukanka Airport (SDD) currently has only 1 runway.
• The closest airport to Lubango Mukanka Airport (SDD) is Vila Roçadas/Xangongo Airport (XGN), which is located 156 miles (252 kilometers) SE of SDD.
• Because of Lubango Mukanka Airport's high elevation of 5,778 feet, planes must typically fly at a faster airspeed in order to takeoff or land at SDD. Combined with a high temperature, this could make SDD a "Hot & High" airport, where the air density is lower than it would otherwise be at sea level.