Nonstop flight route between Sumter, South Carolina, United States and Mthatha, South Africa:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from SSC to UTT:
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- About this route
- SSC Airport Information
- UTT Airport Information
- Facts about SSC
- Facts about UTT
- 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 UTT
- List of Nearest Airports to UTT
- Map of Furthest Airports from UTT
- List of Furthest Airports from UTT
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Shaw Air Force Base (SSC), Sumter, South Carolina, United States and Mthatha Airport (UTT), Mthatha, South Africa would travel a Great Circle distance of 8,403 miles (or 13,523 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 Mthatha 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 Mthatha Airport. 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: | UTT / FAUT |
Airport Name: | Mthatha Airport |
Location: | Mthatha, South Africa |
GPS Coordinates: | 31°32'47"S by 28°40'31"E |
Area Served: | Mthatha, Eastern Cape, South Africa |
Operator/Owner: | Provincial Government |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 2429 feet (740 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from UTT |
More Information: | UTT Maps & Info |
Facts about Shaw Air Force Base (SSC):
- 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.
- 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.
- For a brief time, Shaw Field also served as a prisoner-of-war camp.
- Shaw Army Airfield was designated a permanent Army Air Forces instantiation after the war, being transferred to Continental Air Forces on 16 April 1945.
- 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 Mthatha Airport (UTT):
- The closest airport to Mthatha Airport (UTT) is Margate Airport (MGH), which is located 109 miles (176 kilometers) ENE of UTT.
- The furthest airport from Mthatha Airport (UTT) is Kalaupapa Airport (LUP), which is located 11,642 miles (18,736 kilometers) away in Kalaupapa, Hawaii, United States.
- Mthatha Airport (UTT) currently has only 1 runway.