Nonstop flight route between Sumter, South Carolina, United States and Thames, New Zealand:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from SSC to TMZ:
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- About this route
- SSC Airport Information
- TMZ Airport Information
- Facts about SSC
- Facts about TMZ
- Map of Nearest Airports to SSC
- List of Nearest Airports to SSC
- Map of Furthest Airports from SSC
- List of Furthest Airports from SSC
- Map of Nearest Airports to TMZ
- List of Nearest Airports to TMZ
- Map of Furthest Airports from TMZ
- List of Furthest Airports from TMZ
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Shaw Air Force Base (SSC), Sumter, South Carolina, United States and Thames Aerodrome (TMZ), Thames, New Zealand would travel a Great Circle distance of 8,278 miles (or 13,323 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 Thames 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 Thames Aerodrome. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | SSC / KSSC |
Airport Name: | Shaw Air Force Base |
Location: | Sumter, South Carolina, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 33°58'23"N by 80°28'22"W |
View all routes: | Routes from SSC |
More Information: | SSC Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | TMZ / NZTH |
Airport Name: | Thames Aerodrome |
Location: | Thames, New Zealand |
GPS Coordinates: | 37°9'35"S by 175°32'57"E |
Operator/Owner: | Thames-Coromandel District Council |
Elevation: | 10 feet (3 meters) |
# of Runways: | 2 |
View all routes: | Routes from TMZ |
More Information: | TMZ Maps & Info |
Facts about Shaw Air Force Base (SSC):
- For a brief time, Shaw Field also served as a prisoner-of-war camp.
- With the closure of Myrtle Beach Air Force Base South Carolina and the inactivation of the 354th Fighter Wing, the 21st Tactical Fighter Squadron was activated at Shaw and received 30 Republic A/OA-10 Thunderbolt IIs from the inactivating 355th Fighter Squadron on 1 April 1992.
- Jurisdiction of Shaw was again transferred to Tactical Air Command on 23 March 1946.
- On March 23, 1953, the 432d Tactical Reconnaissance Group was activated at Shaw.
- The group initially conducted training with two squadrons flying the Republic RF-84F "Thunderflash" and two squadrons Group, was a part of Strategic Air Command from July 1947 – May 1951, at Barksdale AFB, Louisiana as an Air Force Reserve corollary unit under the guidance of active duty units in order to train and maintain currency in reconnaissance operations for its reserve personnel.
- The 20th FG was reassigned to Langley AFB, Virginia on 1 December 1951 in preparation for a permanent overseas deployment to RAF Wethersfield, England to support NATO.
- 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 closest airport to Shaw Air Force Base (SSC) is Sumter Airport (SUM), which is located only 7 miles (11 kilometers) ENE of 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.
- Over the next four decades, the squadrons under the 363d TRW changed frequently.
- 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 Thames Aerodrome (TMZ):
- The furthest airport from Thames Aerodrome (TMZ) is Málaga Airport (AGP), which is nearly antipodal to Thames Aerodrome (meaning Thames Aerodrome is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Málaga Airport), and is located 12,403 miles (19,961 kilometers) away in Málaga, Spain.
- Thames Aerodrome (TMZ) has 2 runways.
- The closest airport to Thames Aerodrome (TMZ) is Coromandel Aerodrome (CMV), which is located 26 miles (41 kilometers) N of TMZ.
- Because of Thames Aerodrome's relatively low elevation of 10 feet, planes can take off or land at Thames 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.