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.
• In addition to being known as "Aracaju–Santa Maria Airport", another name for AJU is "Aeroporto Aracaju–Santa Maria".
• In 2012 the airport has already started the last extension through the construction of a completely new passenger terminal which will double its capacity.
• 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.
• Although it had been in operation since the beginning of the 1950s, the official inauguration of the airport took place on 19 January 1958.
• 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.
• 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.
• Aracaju–Santa Maria Airport (AJU) currently has only 1 runway.

Facts about Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA):

• The 740th AC&W Squadron began operations in 1955 with AN/MPS-7 search radar, and initially the station functioned as a Ground-Control Intercept and warning station.
• 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.
• On 1 June 1971, SAC deactivated the 821st Strategic Aerospace Division and by October of that year, an upgraded LGM-30F Minuteman II also replaced the Minuteman I missiles.
• In addition to being known as "Ellsworth Air Force Base", another name for RCA is "Ellsworth AFB".
• 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.
• The airfield was again temporarily shut down from September 1946 – March 1947 and underwent a major construction program to upgrade the temporary wartime facilities to that of a permanent base.
• Ellsworth AFB is 10 miles east of Rapid City, S.D.
• An AN/MPS-14 height-finder radar was added in 1956.