Nonstop flight route between Barrow, Alaska, United States and Rapid City, South Dakota, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Wiley Post–Will Rogers Memorial Airport (BRW), Barrow, Alaska, United States and Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA), Rapid City, South Dakota, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 2,574 miles (or 4,142 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 Wiley Post–Will Rogers Memorial 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 Wiley Post–Will Rogers Memorial 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 Wiley Post–Will Rogers Memorial Airport (BRW):

• The furthest airport from Wiley Post–Will Rogers Memorial Airport (BRW) is Teniente Rodolfo Marsh Airport (TNM), which is located 10,301 miles (16,578 kilometers) away in Villa Las Estrellas, Antarctica.
• The closest airport to Wiley Post–Will Rogers Memorial Airport (BRW) is Atqasuk Edward Burnell Sr. Memorial Airport (ATK), which is located 59 miles (94 kilometers) SSW of BRW.
• Because of Wiley Post–Will Rogers Memorial Airport's relatively low elevation of 44 feet, planes can take off or land at Wiley Post–Will Rogers Memorial 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.
• Wiley Post–Will Rogers Memorial Airport (BRW) currently has only 1 runway.

Facts about Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA):

• 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.
• Rapid City AAF was assigned to the 17th Bombardment Training Wing, II Bomber Command.
• The mission of the 28th Bomb Wing is to deliver decisive combat power for global response.
• 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.
• An Army Air-Defense Command Post was established at Ellsworth in 1960 for Nike missile command-and-control functions.
• Ellsworth AFB was established in 1941 as Rapid City Army Air Base.
• 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.
• 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.