Nonstop flight route between Dole, France and Rapid City, South Dakota, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Dole - Jura Airport (DLE), Dole, France and Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA), Rapid City, South Dakota, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,784 miles (or 7,699 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 Dole - Jura 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 Dole - Jura 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 Dole - Jura Airport (DLE):

• The furthest airport from Dole - Jura Airport (DLE) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is nearly antipodal to Dole - Jura Airport (meaning Dole - Jura Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Chatham Islands), and is located 12,195 miles (19,626 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
• The closest airport to Dole - Jura Airport (DLE) is Dijon Air Base (DIJ), which is located 23 miles (37 kilometers) NW of DLE.
• Because of Dole - Jura Airport's relatively low elevation of 645 feet, planes can take off or land at Dole - Jura 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.
• Dole - Jura Airport (DLE) has 2 runways.
• The airport resides at an elevation of 645 feet above mean sea level.
• In addition to being known as "Dole - Jura Airport", other names for DLE include "Aéroport de Dole - Jura" and "(Advanced Landing Ground Y-7)".
• With the end of the war in Europe in May, 1945 the Americans began to withdraw their aircraft and personnel.

Facts about Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA):

• Ellsworth's population of approximately 8,000 includes military members, family members and civilian employees.
• The Titan I's life span was short in western South Dakota.
• 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 host unit at Ellsworth is the 28th Bomb Wing assigned to the Air Combat Command's Twelfth 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.
• 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".
• Rapid City AAF was assigned to the 17th Bombardment Training Wing, II Bomber Command.
• 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.