Nonstop flight route between Arequipa, Peru and Rapid City, South Dakota, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Rodríguez Ballón International Airport (AQP), Arequipa, Peru and Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA), Rapid City, South Dakota, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,627 miles (or 7,447 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 Rodríguez Ballón International 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 Rodríguez Ballón International 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 Rodríguez Ballón International Airport (AQP):

• The airport is currently operated by the consortium "Aeropuertos Andinos", who reshuffled and modernized the existing facilities.
• Because of Rodríguez Ballón International Airport's high elevation of 8,405 feet, planes must typically fly at a faster airspeed in order to takeoff or land at AQP. Combined with a high temperature, this could make AQP a "Hot & High" airport, where the air density is lower than it would otherwise be at sea level.
• Rodríguez Ballón International Airport (AQP) currently has only 1 runway.
• The closest airport to Rodríguez Ballón International Airport (AQP) is Ilo Airport (ILQ), which is located 95 miles (153 kilometers) S of AQP.
• The furthest airport from Rodríguez Ballón International Airport (AQP) is Đà Nẵng International Airport (DAD), which is nearly antipodal to Rodríguez Ballón International Airport (meaning Rodríguez Ballón International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Đà Nẵng International Airport), and is located 12,412 miles (19,975 kilometers) away in Da Nang, Vietnam.
• On 18 March 1983, Douglas C-47E FAP-356 of the Fuerza Aérea del Perú was damaged beyond repair in an accident at Arequipa Airport.

Facts about Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA):

• 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.
• Rapid City AAF was assigned to the 17th Bombardment Training Wing, II Bomber Command.
• An AN/MPS-14 height-finder radar was added in 1956.
• 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.
• An Army Air-Defense Command Post was established at Ellsworth in 1960 for Nike missile command-and-control functions.
• In 1986, the base and the 28 BMW made extensive preparations to phase out the aging B-52 fleet and become the second home for the advanced B-1B Lancer.
• 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.