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

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Épinal - Mirecourt Airport (EPL), Juvaincourt, Vosges, France and Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA), Rapid City, South Dakota, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,744 miles (or 7,635 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 Épinal - Mirecourt 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 Épinal - Mirecourt 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 Épinal - Mirecourt Airport (EPL):

• In addition to being known as "Épinal - Mirecourt Airport", another name for EPL is "Aéroport d'Épinal - Mirecourt".
• Épinal - Mirecourt Airport (EPL) currently has only 1 runway.
• The furthest airport from Épinal - Mirecourt Airport (EPL) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is nearly antipodal to Épinal - Mirecourt Airport (meaning Épinal - Mirecourt Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Chatham Islands), and is located 12,102 miles (19,477 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
• The closest airport to Épinal - Mirecourt Airport (EPL) is Metz–Nancy–Lorraine Airport (ETZ), which is located 46 miles (74 kilometers) N of EPL.

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.
• 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.
• The 12th Air Division moved to Ellsworth on 15 July 1988.
• 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.
• Rapid City AAF was assigned to the 17th Bombardment Training Wing, II Bomber Command.
• 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 airfield was again temporarily shut down from September 1946 – March 1947 and underwent a major construction program to upgrade the temporary wartime facilities to that of a permanent base.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.