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

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Bunbury Airport (BUY), Bunbury, Western Australia, Australia and Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA), Rapid City, South Dakota, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 10,244 miles (or 16,486 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 Bunbury 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 Bunbury 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 Bunbury Airport (BUY):

• The closest airport to Bunbury Airport (BUY) is Busselton Regional Airport (BQB), which is located 27 miles (43 kilometers) SW of BUY.
• Bunbury Airport (BUY) currently has only 1 runway.
• With increasing interest in ultra-light and general aviation, there is a potential for Bunbury Airport to become a major general aviation airport.
• The furthest airport from Bunbury Airport (BUY) is L.F. Wade International Airport (BDA), which is nearly antipodal to Bunbury Airport (meaning Bunbury Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from L.F. Wade International Airport), and is located 12,364 miles (19,898 kilometers) away in Ferry Reach (near Hamilton), Bermuda.
• Because of Bunbury Airport's relatively low elevation of 53 feet, planes can take off or land at Bunbury 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.
• In addition to being known as "Bunbury Airport", another name for BUY is "Bunbury City Airport".
• Bunbury Airport has a single sealed runway, 07/25 which is 1,222 m × 18 m wide.

Facts about Ellsworth Air Force Base (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.
• The 44th Missile Wing, however, had ably accomplished its deterrence mission.
• Ellsworth AFB was established in 1941 as Rapid City Army Air Base.
• 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.
• On 15 July 1945, the 225th AAFBU was inactivated and Rapid City AAB was placed on standby status as the Army Air Forces began to demobilize.
• In addition to being known as "Ellsworth Air Force Base", another name for RCA is "Ellsworth AFB".
• 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.
• Shortly after additional runway improvements, in July 1949, the 28 BMW began conversion from B-29s to the huge B-36 Peacemaker.