Nonstop flight route between David, Chiriquí Province, Panama and Rapid City, South Dakota, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Enrique Malek International Airport (DAV), David, Chiriquí Province, Panama and Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA), Rapid City, South Dakota, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 2,764 miles (or 4,449 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 Enrique Malek 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 Enrique Malek 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 Enrique Malek International Airport (DAV):

• During heavy travel times, the airport registers 900 operations monthly, serving approximately 20,000 passengers from Mexico, the United States, Canada and Central America.
• In addition to being known as "Enrique Malek International Airport", another name for DAV is "Aeropuerto Internacional Enrique Malek".
• Because of Enrique Malek International Airport's relatively low elevation of 89 feet, planes can take off or land at Enrique Malek 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.
• Enrique Malek International Airport (DAV) currently has only 1 runway.
• The closest airport to Enrique Malek International Airport (DAV) is Coto 47 Airport (OTR), which is located 39 miles (63 kilometers) WNW of DAV.
• The airport ramp and fueling facilities where expanded between 2008 and 2009.
• The furthest airport from Enrique Malek International Airport (DAV) is Cocos (Keeling) Island Airport (CCK), which is nearly antipodal to Enrique Malek International Airport (meaning Enrique Malek International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Cocos (Keeling) Island Airport), and is located 12,170 miles (19,585 kilometers) away in Cocos Islands, Australia.
• On 9 January 1970, an attempt was made to hijack a Douglas C-47 of RAPSA.

Facts about Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA):

• Ellsworth AFB was established in 1941 as Rapid City Army Air Base.
• In addition to being known as "Ellsworth Air Force Base", another name for RCA is "Ellsworth AFB".
• An AN/MPS-14 height-finder radar was added in 1956.
• 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 AAB was reactivated on 11 October 1945 and was assigned to Continental Air Force.
• 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.
• An Army Air-Defense Command Post was established at Ellsworth in 1960 for Nike missile command-and-control functions.
• Military organizations periodically upgrade manpower and machines from time to time to meet new national security requirements and Ellsworth Air Force Base's organizations were no exception.
• The 12th Air Division moved to Ellsworth on 15 July 1988.
• 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.