Nonstop flight route between Dublin, Ireland and Rapid City, South Dakota, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Dublin Airport (DUB), Dublin, Ireland and Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA), Rapid City, South Dakota, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,106 miles (or 6,608 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 Dublin 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 Dublin 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 Dublin Airport (DUB):

• Upon the outbreak of World War II, services were severely restricted at Dublin Airport until late 1945 and the only international scheduled route operated during this time was by Aer Lingus to Liverpool.
• In 1993, a major milestone for the airport was the signing of a new United States – Ireland bilateral agreement which allowed airlines to operate some direct transatlantic services for the first time to/from Dublin Airport instead of touching down en route at Shannon Airport on the west coast of Ireland.
• The furthest airport from Dublin Airport (DUB) is Ryan's Creek Aerodrome (SZS), which is located 11,922 miles (19,187 kilometers) away in Stewart Island, New Zealand.
• The closest airport to Dublin Airport (DUB) is Kilkenny Airport (KKY), which is located 68 miles (110 kilometers) SW of DUB.
• Dublin Airport handled 20,166,783 passengers last year.
• Dublin Airport is one of only two airports in Ireland with United States border preclearance services for US-bound passengers.
• Dublin Airport (DUB) has 2 runways.
• In addition to being known as "Dublin Airport", another name for DUB is "Aerfort Bhaile Átha Cliath".
• In October 2004, Aer Rianta was renamed as the Dublin Airport Authority plc, following the State Airports Act 2004.
• Because of Dublin Airport's relatively low elevation of 242 feet, planes can take off or land at Dublin 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.
• The plans for Terminal 2 have been met with ongoing criticism from those who argued that, once built, it could not be extended to provide any additional capacity, owing to its location.
• In September 2010, US Airways announced that it will commence daily direct services from Dublin to Charlotte in North Carolina from May 2011.

Facts about Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA):

• In addition to being known as "Ellsworth Air Force Base", another name for RCA is "Ellsworth AFB".
• The mission of the 28th Bomb Wing is to deliver decisive combat power for global response.
• 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 installation changed names a few more times during its early years.
• When operations resumed in 1947 the base was a new United States Air Force asset.
• In 1986, the base and the 28 BMW made extensive preparations to phase out the aging B-52 fleet and become the second home for the advanced B-1B Lancer.
• To provide air defense of the base, the United States Army established the Ellsworth AFB Defense Area in 1957 and constructed Nike-Ajax Surface-to-air missile sites for air defense.
• 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.