Nonstop flight route between Bardufoss, Norway and Rapid City, South Dakota, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Bardufoss Airport (BDU), Bardufoss, Norway and Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA), Rapid City, South Dakota, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,072 miles (or 6,553 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 Bardufoss 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 Bardufoss 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 Bardufoss Airport (BDU):

• Because of Bardufoss Airport's relatively low elevation of 252 feet, planes can take off or land at Bardufoss 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 Bardufoss Airport (BDU) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is located 10,613 miles (17,079 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
• Three times a week SAS operated a night flight from Bardufoss and Bodø to Oslo, with Andøya Airport, Andenes added in 1964, using a Convair Metropolitan.
• Bardufoss Airport is a primary airport situated at Bardufoss in Målselv, Norway.
• Bardufoss Airport handled 207,650 passengers last year.
• In addition to being known as "Bardufoss Airport", another name for BDU is "Bardufoss lufthavn".
• The armed forces signed an agreement with Braathens, resulting in the airline taking over the three weekly Oslo-services from 1 January 1999.
• Scandinavian Airlines System Flight 347, SAS-operated McDonnell Douglas MD-82 en route to Bodø Airport and Oslo Airport, Fornebu, was hijacking by Haris Keč on 3 November 1994.
• The closest airport to Bardufoss Airport (BDU) is Tromsø Airport, Langnes (TOS), which is located 44 miles (71 kilometers) NNE of BDU.
• The Norwegian Army Air Service completed the air station in 1938 and expanded by them and later the Luftwaffe during World War II.
• Bardufoss was selected an emergency landing airfield by the Norwegian Army Air Service in 1934, with construction starting in early 1935.

Facts about Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA):

• Ellsworth AFB was established in 1941 as Rapid City Army Air Base.
• The installation changed names a few more times during its early years.
• In October 1960, Ellsworth entered the "Space Age," with the activation of the 850th Strategic Missile Squadron, initially assigned to the 28 BMW.
• 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 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 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.
• 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.
• Shortly after additional runway improvements, in July 1949, the 28 BMW began conversion from B-29s to the huge B-36 Peacemaker.
• In addition to being known as "Ellsworth Air Force Base", another name for RCA is "Ellsworth AFB".