Nonstop flight route between Sumter, South Carolina, United States and Jerez de la Frontera, Spain:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Shaw Air Force Base (SSC), Sumter, South Carolina, United States and Jerez Airport (XRY), Jerez de la Frontera, Spain would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,087 miles (or 6,577 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 Jerez 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 Jerez 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 AFB is home base of the USAF 20th Fighter Wing, which flies F-16CJ Fighting Falcons.
• On March 23, 1953, the 432d Tactical Reconnaissance Group was activated at Shaw.
• In addition to the 363d TRW, Headquarters Ninth Air Force was transferred to Shaw from Pope Air Force Base, North Carolina on 1 September 1954.
• Shaw Air Force Base is named in honor of World War I pilot 1st Lieutenant Ervin David Shaw.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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 Jerez Airport (XRY):

• In addition to being known as "Jerez Airport", another name for XRY is "Aeropuerto de Jerez".
• Jerez Airport (XRY) currently has only 1 runway.
• The furthest airport from Jerez Airport (XRY) is Auckland Airport (AKL), which is nearly antipodal to Jerez Airport (meaning Jerez Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Auckland Airport), and is located 12,386 miles (19,934 kilometers) away in Mangere, New Zealand.
• Because of Jerez Airport's relatively low elevation of 93 feet, planes can take off or land at Jerez 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 closest airport to Jerez Airport (XRY) is Seville Airport (SVQ), which is located 47 miles (76 kilometers) N of XRY.
• Jerez Airport is conveniently located for access to Gibraltar, Cadiz, Tarifa, Seville and the Costa del Sol which is a 90-minute drive away.