Nonstop flight route between Aracaju, Sergipe, Brazil and Rapid City, South Dakota, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Aracaju–Santa Maria Airport (AJU), Aracaju, Sergipe, Brazil and Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA), Rapid City, South Dakota, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,607 miles (or 9,024 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 Aracaju–Santa Maria Airport and Ellsworth Air Force Base, 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 Aracaju–Santa Maria Airport and Ellsworth Air Force Base. 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 Aracaju–Santa Maria Airport (AJU):

• Aracaju–Santa Maria Airport handled 1,343,899 passengers last year.
• The closest airport to Aracaju–Santa Maria Airport (AJU) is Maceió/Zumbi dos Palmares International Airport (MCZ), which is located 134 miles (216 kilometers) NE of AJU.
• In addition to being known as "Aracaju–Santa Maria Airport", another name for AJU is "Aeroporto Aracaju–Santa Maria".
• The furthest airport from Aracaju–Santa Maria Airport (AJU) is Guam International Airport (GUM), which is nearly antipodal to Aracaju–Santa Maria Airport (meaning Aracaju–Santa Maria Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Guam International Airport), and is located 12,223 miles (19,671 kilometers) away in Hagåtña, Guam.
• In 2012 the airport has already started the last extension through the construction of a completely new passenger terminal which will double its capacity.
• Because of Aracaju–Santa Maria Airport's relatively low elevation of 23 feet, planes can take off or land at Aracaju–Santa Maria 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.
• Although it had been in operation since the beginning of the 1950s, the official inauguration of the airport took place on 19 January 1958.
• Aracaju–Santa Maria Airport (AJU) currently has only 1 runway.

Facts about Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA):

• When operations resumed in 1947 the base was a new United States Air Force asset.
• The host unit at Ellsworth is the 28th Bomb Wing assigned to the Air Combat Command's Twelfth Air Force.
• In addition to being known as "Ellsworth Air Force Base", another name for RCA is "Ellsworth AFB".
• The closest airport to Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA) is Rapid City Regional Airport (RAP), which is located only 7 miles (11 kilometers) S of RCA.
• The furthest airport from Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA) is Sir Gaëtan Duval Airport (RRG), which is located 10,579 miles (17,026 kilometers) away in Rodrigues Island, Mauritius.
• In October 1960, Ellsworth entered the "Space Age," with the activation of the 850th Strategic Missile Squadron, initially assigned to the 28 BMW.
• The base experienced one of its worst peacetime tragedies in March 1953 when an RB-36 and its entire crew of 23 crashed in Newfoundland while returning from a routine exercise in Europe.
• In March 1944, heavy bomber operational training ended and the 225th Army Air Force Base Unit began training of replacement personnel for deployed heavy bombardment units in the overseas combat theaters.
• Air Defense Command deactivated the Ellsworth radar site on 15 August 1962 and the 740th was discontinued.