Nonstop flight route between Sumter, South Carolina, United States and Kuparuk, Alaska, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Shaw Air Force Base (SSC), Sumter, South Carolina, United States and Ugnu-Kuparuk Airport (UUK), Kuparuk, Alaska, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 3,542 miles (or 5,701 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 Ugnu-Kuparuk 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 Ugnu-Kuparuk 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):

• Shaw Air Force Base is named in honor of World War I pilot 1st Lieutenant Ervin David Shaw.
• The 432nd's mission at Shaw AFB was to assume the reconnaissance training mission that was handled previously by the 363d TRW.
• The closest airport to Shaw Air Force Base (SSC) is Sumter Airport (SUM), which is located only 7 miles (11 kilometers) ENE of SSC.
• On 9 August 1990, the 17th and 33d TFS of 363d TFW became the first F-16 squadrons to deploy to the United Arab Emirates in Operation Desert Shield.
• 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.
• 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.

Facts about Ugnu-Kuparuk Airport (UUK):

• The closest airport to Ugnu-Kuparuk Airport (UUK) is Deadhorse Airport (SCC), which is located 28 miles (45 kilometers) ESE of UUK.
• The furthest airport from Ugnu-Kuparuk Airport (UUK) is Teniente Rodolfo Marsh Airport (TNM), which is located 10,127 miles (16,298 kilometers) away in Villa Las Estrellas, Antarctica.
• Because of Ugnu-Kuparuk Airport's relatively low elevation of 67 feet, planes can take off or land at Ugnu-Kuparuk Airport 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 "Ugnu-Kuparuk Airport", another name for UUK is "UBW".
• Ugnu-Kuparuk Airport (UUK) currently has only 1 runway.