Nonstop flight route between Sumter, South Carolina, United States and Yantai, Shandong, China:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Shaw Air Force Base (SSC), Sumter, South Carolina, United States and Yantai Laishan International Airport (YNT), Yantai, Shandong, China would travel a Great Circle distance of 7,309 miles (or 11,763 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 Yantai Laishan International 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 Yantai Laishan International 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 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 closest airport to Shaw Air Force Base (SSC) is Sumter Airport (SUM), which is located only 7 miles (11 kilometers) ENE of SSC.
• The 432nd's mission at Shaw AFB was to assume the reconnaissance training mission that was handled previously by the 363d TRW.
• 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.
• 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.

Facts about Yantai Laishan International Airport (YNT):

• Yantai Laishan International Airport (YNT) currently has only 1 runway.
• In addition to being known as "Yantai Laishan International Airport", other names for YNT include "烟台莱山国际机场" and "Yāntái Láishān Guójì Jīchǎng".
• The closest airport to Yantai Laishan International Airport (YNT) is Weihai Dashuibo Airport (WEH), which is located 49 miles (79 kilometers) ESE of YNT.
• Because of Yantai Laishan International Airport's relatively low elevation of 59 feet, planes can take off or land at Yantai Laishan International 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 furthest airport from Yantai Laishan International Airport (YNT) is Tandil Airport (TDL), which is nearly antipodal to Yantai Laishan International Airport (meaning Yantai Laishan International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Tandil Airport), and is located 12,402 miles (19,959 kilometers) away in Tandil, Argentina.