Nonstop flight route between Sumter, South Carolina, United States and Bourg-en-Bresse, France:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Shaw Air Force Base (SSC), Sumter, South Carolina, United States and Bourg - Ceyzériat Airport (XBK), Bourg-en-Bresse, France would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,389 miles (or 7,064 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 Bourg - Ceyzériat 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 Bourg - Ceyzériat 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):

• 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 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.
• Flying activities at the field began on 22 October 1941 using Vultee BT-13 Valiants.
• 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.

Facts about Bourg - Ceyzériat Airport (XBK):

• The airport resides at an elevation of 857 feet above mean sea level.
• The furthest airport from Bourg - Ceyzériat Airport (XBK) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is nearly antipodal to Bourg - Ceyzériat Airport (meaning Bourg - Ceyzériat Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Chatham Islands), and is located 12,251 miles (19,715 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
• Because of Bourg - Ceyzériat Airport's relatively low elevation of 857 feet, planes can take off or land at Bourg - Ceyzériat 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.
• Bourg - Ceyzériat Airport (XBK) has 2 runways.
• The closest airport to Bourg - Ceyzériat Airport (XBK) is Lyon–Saint Exupéry Airport (LYS), which is located 35 miles (56 kilometers) SSW of XBK.
• In addition to being known as "Bourg - Ceyzériat Airport", another name for XBK is "Aéroport de Bourg - Ceyzériat".