Nonstop flight route between El Calafate, Santa Cruz Province, Argentina and Rapid City, South Dakota, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Comandante Armando Tola International Airport (FTE), El Calafate, Santa Cruz Province, Argentina and Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA), Rapid City, South Dakota, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 6,786 miles (or 10,920 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 Comandante Armando Tola 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 Comandante Armando Tola 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 Comandante Armando Tola International Airport (FTE):

• The closest airport to Comandante Armando Tola International Airport (FTE) is Lago Argentino Airport (ING), which is located only 11 miles (18 kilometers) WSW of FTE.
• The furthest airport from Comandante Armando Tola International Airport (FTE) is Baikal International Airport (UUD), which is nearly antipodal to Comandante Armando Tola International Airport (meaning Comandante Armando Tola International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Baikal International Airport), and is located 12,329 miles (19,842 kilometers) away in Ulan-Ude, Republic of Buryatia, Russia.
• Comandante Armando Tola International Airport (FTE) currently has only 1 runway.
• Because of Comandante Armando Tola International Airport's relatively low elevation of 669 feet, planes can take off or land at Comandante Armando Tola 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.
• In addition to being known as "Comandante Armando Tola International Airport", other names for FTE include "Aeropuerto Internacional de El Calafate – Comandante Armando Tola" and "SAWC".

Facts about Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA):

• 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.
• Ellsworth's population of approximately 8,000 includes military members, family members and civilian employees.
• 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 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 1 June 1971, SAC deactivated the 821st Strategic Aerospace Division and by October of that year, an upgraded LGM-30F Minuteman II also replaced the Minuteman I missiles.
• 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 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.
• 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.