Nonstop flight route between Akron, Colorado, United States and Rapid City, South Dakota, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Colorado Plains Regional Airport (AKO), Akron, Colorado, United States and Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA), Rapid City, South Dakota, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 274 miles (or 442 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 relatively short distance between Colorado Plains Regional Airport and Ellsworth Air Force Base, the route shown on this map most likely still appears to be a straight line.

Departure Airport Information:

Arrival Airport Information:

Facts about Colorado Plains Regional Airport (AKO):

• Because of Colorado Plains Regional Airport's high elevation of 4,714 feet, planes must typically fly at a faster airspeed in order to takeoff or land at AKO. Combined with a high temperature, this could make AKO a "Hot & High" airport, where the air density is lower than it would otherwise be at sea level.
• Colorado Plains Regional Airport (AKO) currently has only 1 runway.
• The closest airport to Colorado Plains Regional Airport (AKO) is Sidney Municipal Airport (SNY), which is located 65 miles (105 kilometers) N of AKO.
• The furthest airport from Colorado Plains Regional Airport (AKO) is Sir Gaëtan Duval Airport (RRG), which is located 10,818 miles (17,410 kilometers) away in Rodrigues Island, Mauritius.

Facts about Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA):

• Ellsworth AFB was established in 1941 as Rapid City Army Air Base.
• When operations resumed in 1947 the base was a new United States Air Force asset.
• 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.
• To provide air defense of the base, the United States Army established the Ellsworth AFB Defense Area in 1957 and constructed Nike-Ajax Surface-to-air missile sites for air defense.
• The Titan I's life span was short in western South Dakota.
• Air Defense Command activated the 740th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron at Rapid City AFB on 1 February 1953 under the ADC 31st Air Division.
• 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.
• Military organizations periodically upgrade manpower and machines from time to time to meet new national security requirements and Ellsworth Air Force Base's organizations were no exception.