Nonstop flight route between Busselton, Western Australia, Australia and Rapid City, South Dakota, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Busselton Regional Airport (BQB), Busselton, Western Australia, Australia and Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA), Rapid City, South Dakota, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 10,269 miles (or 16,526 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 Busselton Regional 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 Busselton Regional 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 Busselton Regional Airport (BQB):

• The furthest airport from Busselton Regional Airport (BQB) is L.F. Wade International Airport (BDA), which is nearly antipodal to Busselton Regional Airport (meaning Busselton Regional Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from L.F. Wade International Airport), and is located 12,345 miles (19,868 kilometers) away in Ferry Reach (near Hamilton), Bermuda.
• The closest airport to Busselton Regional Airport (BQB) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 24 miles (39 kilometers) SW of BQB.
• Busselton Regional Airport (BQB) currently has only 1 runway.
• Because of Busselton Regional Airport's relatively low elevation of 55 feet, planes can take off or land at Busselton Regional 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.

Facts about Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA):

• After the Army closed their facilities, the military housing at the Nike Integrated Fire Control sites was transferred to control of Ellsworth, and was used as Air Force military family housing until about 1990.
• 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.
• Rapid City AAF was assigned to the 17th Bombardment Training Wing, II Bomber Command.
• Air Defense Command deactivated the Ellsworth radar site on 15 August 1962 and the 740th was discontinued.
• When operations resumed in 1947 the base was a new United States Air Force asset.
• 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.
• 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.
• In addition to being known as "Ellsworth Air Force Base", another name for RCA is "Ellsworth AFB".
• Internationally, the destruction of the Berlin Wall in October 1989 symbolized the imminent demise of the Soviet Union over the next several months.
• The mission of the 28th Bomb Wing is to deliver decisive combat power for global response.