Nonstop flight route between Kalamazoo/Battle Creek, Michigan, United States and Rapid City, South Dakota, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport (AZO), Kalamazoo/Battle Creek, Michigan, United States and Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA), Rapid City, South Dakota, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 891 miles (or 1,434 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 Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International 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 Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport (AZO):

• As of 2011, flight training is offered through Great Lakes Aviation Service.
• In 1955 the Kalamazoo-based Upjohn pharmaceutical company began operating aircraft for its executives from the airport.
• On October 27, 2009, a single-engine Beechcraft crashed.
• Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport (AZO) has 3 runways.
• In 1975 the regional air traffic control facility was moved from Battle Creek to Kalamazoo, and in 1978, a radar facility was installed.
• On March 13, 2012, Direct Air suspended all their flights until May 15 because their fuel supplier stopped supplying fuel.
• Because of Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport's relatively low elevation of 874 feet, planes can take off or land at Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International 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 Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport (AZO) is W. K. Kellogg Airport (BTL), which is located only 16 miles (26 kilometers) ENE of AZO.
• The furthest airport from Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport (AZO) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,180 miles (17,993 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.

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.
• In addition to being known as "Ellsworth Air Force Base", another name for RCA is "Ellsworth AFB".
• Ellsworth AFB was established in 1941 as Rapid City Army Air Base.
• 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.
• The host unit at Ellsworth is the 28th Bomb Wing assigned to the Air Combat Command's Twelfth Air Force.
• Ellsworth Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located approximately 10 miles northeast of Rapid City, South Dakota just north of Box Elder, South Dakota.
• An Army Air-Defense Command Post was established at Ellsworth in 1960 for Nike missile command-and-control functions.
• 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.