Nonstop flight route between Sumter, South Carolina, United States and Hamburg, Germany:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Shaw Air Force Base (SSC), Sumter, South Carolina, United States and Hamburg Finkenwerder Airport (XFW), Hamburg, Germany would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,385 miles (or 7,057 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 Hamburg Finkenwerder 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 Hamburg Finkenwerder 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):

• The closest airport to Shaw Air Force Base (SSC) is Sumter Airport (SUM), which is located only 7 miles (11 kilometers) ENE of 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.
• The 432nd's mission at Shaw AFB was to assume the reconnaissance training mission that was handled previously by the 363d TRW.
• 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 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.
• On 25 June 1953, the 66th TRW departed Shaw, being reassigned to Sembach Air Base, West Germany.
• 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 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 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.

Facts about Hamburg Finkenwerder Airport (XFW):

• A large spares centre is also maintained at Hamburg, and A320 Family maintenance training facilities can also be found on-site.
• Hamburg Finkenwerder Airport (XFW) currently has only 1 runway.
• Beginning in April 2006, the runway was extended from 2,684 m to 3,183 m at the southern end, in order to accommodate the planned freight version of the Airbus 380.
• In addition to being known as "Hamburg Finkenwerder Airport", another name for XFW is "Flugplatz Hamburg-Finkenwerder".
• The furthest airport from Hamburg Finkenwerder Airport (XFW) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is located 11,707 miles (18,840 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
• Because of Hamburg Finkenwerder Airport's relatively low elevation of 23 feet, planes can take off or land at Hamburg Finkenwerder 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.
• The airfield was built about 10 years after World War II, originally as a factory airfield.
• The closest airport to Hamburg Finkenwerder Airport (XFW) is Hamburg Airport (HAM), which is located only 9 miles (15 kilometers) NE of XFW.