Nonstop flight route between Douala, Cameroon and Rapid City, South Dakota, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Douala International Airport (DLA), Douala, Cameroon and Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA), Rapid City, South Dakota, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 7,132 miles (or 11,477 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 Douala 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 Douala 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 Douala International Airport (DLA):

• The closest airport to Douala International Airport (DLA) is Limbe Airport (VCC), which is located 36 miles (58 kilometers) W of DLA.
• In addition to being known as "Douala International Airport", another name for DLA is "Aéroport international de Douala".
• Douala International Airport handled 704,765 passengers last year.
• Because of Douala International Airport's relatively low elevation of 33 feet, planes can take off or land at Douala 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.
• Douala International Airport (DLA) currently has only 1 runway.
• The furthest airport from Douala International Airport (DLA) is Canton Island Airport (CIS), which is nearly antipodal to Douala International Airport (meaning Douala International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Canton Island Airport), and is located 12,307 miles (19,805 kilometers) away in Canton Island, Kiribati.

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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• An AN/MPS-14 height-finder radar was added in 1956.
• The installation changed names a few more times during its early years.
• In March 1944, heavy bomber operational training ended and the 225th Army Air Force Base Unit began training of replacement personnel for deployed heavy bombardment units in the overseas combat theaters.
• 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.
• Air Defense Command deactivated the Ellsworth radar site on 15 August 1962 and the 740th was discontinued.