Nonstop flight route between Sumter, South Carolina, United States and Taoyuan County (near Taipei), Taiwan, Republic of China:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Shaw Air Force Base (SSC), Sumter, South Carolina, United States and Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (TPE), Taoyuan County (near Taipei), Taiwan, Republic of China would travel a Great Circle distance of 8,115 miles (or 13,061 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 Taiwan Taoyuan 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 Taiwan Taoyuan 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):

• 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.
• Following Desert Storm, the 19th and 33d Tactical Fighter Squadrons deployed to the Persian Gulf in support of Operation Southern Watch, a coalition effort to enforce the Iraqi "No Fly Zone" south of the 32nd parallel north.
• Shaw Army Airfield was designated a permanent Army Air Forces instantiation after the war, being transferred to Continental Air Forces on 16 April 1945.
• Jurisdiction of Shaw was again transferred to Tactical Air Command on 23 March 1946.
• 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.
• 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 AFB is home base of the USAF 20th Fighter Wing, which flies F-16CJ Fighting Falcons.
• 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 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.

Facts about Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (TPE):

• Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (TPE) has 2 runways.
• The furthest airport from Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (TPE) is Clorinda Airport (CLX), which is nearly antipodal to Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (meaning Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Clorinda Airport), and is located 12,370 miles (19,907 kilometers) away in Clorinda, Formosa, Argentina.
• The airport has two parallel runways, with one 3660 meters in length and another 3350 meters in length and both 60 meters wide, enabling them to cater to the next generation of aircraft.
• The airport, originally planned as Taoyuan International Airport, bore the name of late President Chiang Kai-shek until 2006.
• Terminal 2 opened in 2000 to reduce congestion in the aging Terminal 1.
• Airport Business Center
• The airport is operated by the Taoyuan International Airport Corporation, a company wholly owned by the Government of Taiwan.
• The closest airport to Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (TPE) is Taipei International Airport (Taipei Songshan Airport) (TSA), which is located 21 miles (33 kilometers) E of TPE.
• In January 2006, a Foreign Laborers' Service Center was set up to provide airport pick-up services and serve the needs of migrant workers.
• Because of Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport's relatively low elevation of 108 feet, planes can take off or land at Taiwan Taoyuan 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 Taoyuan International Airport Access MRT System is scheduled to begin service in December 2015 and will link both terminals to Taipei and Zhongli, Taoyuan.
• In addition to being known as "Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport", other names for TPE include "臺灣桃園國際機場桃園機場" and "Táiwān Táoyuán Gúojì JīchǎngTáoyuán Jīchǎng".