Nonstop flight route between Sumter, South Carolina, United States and Abbeville, France:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Shaw Air Force Base (SSC), Sumter, South Carolina, United States and Aerodrome Abbeville (XAB), Abbeville, France would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,145 miles (or 6,671 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 Aerodrome Abbeville, 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 Aerodrome Abbeville. 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):

• In October 1942, the flight training was changed to Advanced flying training and AT-6 Texan single-engine and Beech AT-10 twin-engine trainers were used.
• On 1 April 1951, the 363d TRW was transferred to Shaw from Langley Air Force Base, Virginia The 363d Tactical Reconnaissance Wing would remain at Shaw, under various designations, for the next 43 years.
• 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 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.
• The 363d TFW received its first F-16 on 26 March 1982.
• 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 432nd's mission at Shaw AFB was to assume the reconnaissance training mission that was handled previously by the 363d TRW.
• 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 Aerodrome Abbeville (XAB):

• The closest airport to Aerodrome Abbeville (XAB) is Le Touquet - Côte d'Opale Airport (LTQ), which is located 27 miles (44 kilometers) NNW of XAB.
• The Aerodrome Abbeville or Abbeville Airport, is an airport serving Abbeville and located in Buigny-Saint-Maclou, 4 km north-northeast of Abbeville, both communes of the Somme département in the Picardie région of France.
• In addition to being known as "Aerodrome Abbeville", other names for XAB include "Aérodrome d'Abbeville - Buigny-Saint-Maclou" and "Advanced Landing Ground (ALG) B-92".
• The furthest airport from Aerodrome Abbeville (XAB) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is located 11,992 miles (19,299 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
• Aerodrome Abbeville (XAB) has 3 runways.
• The airport resides at an elevation of 220 feet above mean sea level.
• Because of Aerodrome Abbeville's relatively low elevation of 220 feet, planes can take off or land at Aerodrome Abbeville 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.