Nonstop flight route between Fargo, North Dakota, United States and Rapid City, South Dakota, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Hector International Airport (FAR), Fargo, North Dakota, United States and Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA), Rapid City, South Dakota, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 358 miles (or 577 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 relatively short distance between Hector International Airport and Ellsworth Air Force Base, the route shown on this map most likely still appears to be a straight line.

Departure Airport Information:

Arrival Airport Information:

Facts about Hector International Airport (FAR):

• The furthest airport from Hector International Airport (FAR) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 10,552 miles (16,981 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
• Hector International Airport (FAR) has 3 runways.
• The terminal was built in 1986 and designed by Foss Associates with Thompson Consultants.
• Because of Hector International Airport's relatively low elevation of 902 feet, planes can take off or land at Hector 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.
• The airport is home to the Happy Hooligans of the 119th Wing, a unit of the North Dakota Air National Guard that operates the C-21A Lear Jet and MQ-1 Predator.
• The closest airport to Hector International Airport (FAR) is Detroit Lakes Airport (DTL), which is located 44 miles (72 kilometers) E of FAR.
• Hector International Airport is a civil-military public airport three miles northwest of Fargo, in Cass County, North Dakota, United States.

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".
• 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 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.
• 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.
• On 1 June 1992, as part of the first major reorganization since the creation of USAF, the Air Force inactivated Strategic Air Command and assigned Ellsworth's organizations ) to the newly activated Air Combat Command.
• 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.
• An Army Air-Defense Command Post was established at Ellsworth in 1960 for Nike missile command-and-control functions.
• Air Defense Command deactivated the Ellsworth radar site on 15 August 1962 and the 740th was discontinued.
• Ellsworth's population of approximately 8,000 includes military members, family members and civilian employees.