Nonstop flight route between Alor Island, Indonesia and Rapid City, South Dakota, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Alor Island Airport (ARD), Alor Island, Indonesia and Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA), Rapid City, South Dakota, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 8,652 miles (or 13,925 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 Alor Island 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 Alor Island 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 Alor Island Airport (ARD):

• The closest airport to Alor Island Airport (ARD) is Presidente Nicolau Lobato International Airport (DIL), which is located 70 miles (112 kilometers) ESE of ARD.
• Because of Alor Island Airport's relatively low elevation of 39 feet, planes can take off or land at Alor Island 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 furthest airport from Alor Island Airport (ARD) is Zorg en Hoop Airport (ORG), which is nearly antipodal to Alor Island Airport (meaning Alor Island Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Zorg en Hoop Airport), and is located 12,276 miles (19,756 kilometers) away in Paramaribo, Suriname.
• In addition to being known as "Alor Island Airport", another name for ARD is "Bandar Udara Mali".
• Alor Island Airport (ARD) currently has only 1 runway.

Facts about Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA):

• 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.
• 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 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.
• In October 1960, Ellsworth entered the "Space Age," with the activation of the 850th Strategic Missile Squadron, initially assigned to the 28 BMW.
• In addition to being known as "Ellsworth Air Force Base", another name for RCA is "Ellsworth AFB".
• 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.
• When operations resumed in 1947 the base was a new United States Air Force asset.
• Ellsworth AFB was established in 1941 as Rapid City Army Air Base.