Nonstop flight route between Rome, Italy and Rapid City, South Dakota, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Ciampino–G. B. Pastine International Airport (CIA), Rome, Italy and Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA), Rapid City, South Dakota, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,290 miles (or 8,513 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 Ciampino–G. B. Pastine International 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 Ciampino–G. B. Pastine International 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 Ciampino–G. B. Pastine International Airport (CIA):

• Ciampino–G. B. Pastine International Airport (CIA) currently has only 1 runway.
• Because of Ciampino–G. B. Pastine International Airport's relatively low elevation of 427 feet, planes can take off or land at Ciampino–G. B. Pastine 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.
• There is no rail transport at Ciampino Airport.
• In addition to being known as "Ciampino–G. B. Pastine International Airport", other names for CIA include "Rome Ciampino Airport" and "Ciampino–Aeroporto Internazionale G. B. Pastine".
• Ciampino–G. B. Pastine International Airport handled 4,749,251 passengers last year.
• The closest airport to Ciampino–G. B. Pastine International Airport (CIA) is Fiumicino – Leonardo da Vinci International Airport (FCO), which is located only 18 miles (30 kilometers) W of CIA.
• The furthest airport from Ciampino–G. B. Pastine International Airport (CIA) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is located 11,958 miles (19,244 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
• When the combat units moved out, Air Transport Command used the airport as a major transshipment hub for cargo, transiting aircraft and personnel for the remainder of the war.

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".
• 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.
• Air Defense Command deactivated the Ellsworth radar site on 15 August 1962 and the 740th was discontinued.
• 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.
• Rapid City AAB was reactivated on 11 October 1945 and was assigned to Continental Air Force.