Nonstop flight route between Alxa Left Banner, Inner Mongolia, China and Rapid City, South Dakota, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Alxa Left Banner Bayanhot Airport (AXF), Alxa Left Banner, Inner Mongolia, China and Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA), Rapid City, South Dakota, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 6,431 miles (or 10,350 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 Alxa Left Banner Bayanhot 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 Alxa Left Banner Bayanhot 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 Alxa Left Banner Bayanhot Airport (AXF):

• The furthest airport from Alxa Left Banner Bayanhot Airport (AXF) is Pichoy Airport (ZAL), which is nearly antipodal to Alxa Left Banner Bayanhot Airport (meaning Alxa Left Banner Bayanhot Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Pichoy Airport), and is located 12,347 miles (19,871 kilometers) away in Valdivia, Chile.
• The closest airport to Alxa Left Banner Bayanhot Airport (AXF) is Yinchuan Hedong International Airport (INC), which is located 54 miles (87 kilometers) SE of AXF.
• In addition to being known as "Alxa Left Banner Bayanhot Airport", another name for AXF is "阿拉善左旗巴彦浩特机场".

Facts about Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA):

• Ellsworth AFB was established in 1941 as Rapid City Army Air Base.
• 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 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.
• In addition to being known as "Ellsworth Air Force Base", another name for RCA is "Ellsworth AFB".
• The installation changed names a few more times during its early years.
• 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.
• On 1 June 1992, as part of the first major reorganization since the creation of USAF, the Air Force inactivated Strategic Air Command and assigned Ellsworth's organizations ) to the newly activated Air Combat Command.
• 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.
• Rapid City AAF was assigned to the 17th Bombardment Training Wing, II Bomber Command.