Nonstop flight route between Goroka, Papua New Guinea and Rapid City, South Dakota, United States:
Departure Airport:
(6°4'54"S by 145°23'30"E)
Arrival Airport:
(44°8'47"N by 103°4'28"W)
Distance from GKA to RCA:
7,573.61 miles (12,188.51 km)
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- About this route
- GKA Airport Information
- RCA Airport Information
- Facts about GKA
- Facts about RCA
- Map of Nearest Airports to GKA
- List of Nearest Airports to GKA
- Map of Furthest Airports from GKA
- List of Furthest Airports from GKA
- Map of Nearest Airports to RCA
- List of Nearest Airports to RCA
- Map of Furthest Airports from RCA
- List of Furthest Airports from RCA
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Goroka Airport (GKA), Goroka, Papua New Guinea and Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA), Rapid City, South Dakota, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 7,574 miles (or 12,189 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 Goroka 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 Goroka 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:
| IATA / ICAO Codes: | GKA / AYGA |
| Airport Name: | Goroka Airport |
| Location: | Goroka, Papua New Guinea |
| GPS Coordinates: | 6°4'54"S by 145°23'30"E |
| Airport Type: | Public |
| Elevation: | 5282 feet (1,610 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 2 |
| View all routes: | Routes from GKA |
| More Information: | GKA Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
| IATA / ICAO Codes: | RCA / KRCA |
| Airport Names: |
|
| Location: | Rapid City, South Dakota, United States |
| GPS Coordinates: | 44°8'47"N by 103°4'28"W |
| View all routes: | Routes from RCA |
| More Information: | RCA Maps & Info |
Facts about Goroka Airport (GKA):
- The closest airport to Goroka Airport (GKA) is Chimbu Airport (CMU), which is located 29 miles (47 kilometers) W of GKA.
- Because of Goroka Airport's high elevation of 5,282 feet, planes must typically fly at a faster airspeed in order to takeoff or land at GKA. Combined with a high temperature, this could make GKA a "Hot & High" airport, where the air density is lower than it would otherwise be at sea level.
- Goroka Airport (GKA) has 2 runways.
- The furthest airport from Goroka Airport (GKA) is Governador Carlos Wilson Airport (FEN), which is located 11,734 miles (18,884 kilometers) away in Fernando de Noronha, Pernambuco, Brazil.
Facts about Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA):
- 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 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 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Rapid City AAF was assigned to the 17th Bombardment Training Wing, II Bomber Command.
| Rank | Distance & Direction | Airport Name & IATA Code | Airport Location | Further Actions |
| 1 | 29.24 miles (47.06 km) W | Chimbu Airport (CMU) | Kundiawa, Papua New Guinea |     |
| 2 | 39.11 miles (62.93 km) E | Gusap Airport (GAP) | Gusap, Papua New Guinea | |
| 3 | 39.37 miles (63.36 km) ESE | Aiyura Airport (AYU) | Aiyura, Papua New Guinea | |
| 4 | 66.07 miles (106.34 km) NNE | Madang Airport (MAG) | Madang, Papua New Guinea | |
| 5 | 76.32 miles (122.82 km) SSE | Andakombe Airport (ADC) | Andakombe, Papua New Guinea | |
| 6 | 77.35 miles (124.48 km) WNW | Mount Hagen Airport (HGU) | Mount Hagen, Papua New Guinea | |
| 7 | 79.20 miles (127.46 km) NW | Aiome Airport (AIE) | Aiome, Papua New Guinea | |
| 8 | 97.63 miles (157.12 km) ESE | Lae Nadzab Airport (LAE) | Lae, Papua New Guinea, Papua New Guinea | |
| 9 | 98.85 miles (159.08 km) NW | Sangapi Airport (SGK) | Sangapi, Papua New Guinea | |
| 10 | 105.16 miles (169.24 km) SSW | Baimuru Airport (VMU) | Baimuru, Papua New Guinea | |
| 11 | 116.58 miles (187.62 km) SE | Bulolo Airport (BUL) | Bulolo, Papua New Guinea | |
| 12 | 119.26 miles (191.93 km) W | Mendi Airport (MDU) | Mendi, Papua New Guinea | |
| 13 | 121.46 miles (195.47 km) SW | Kikori Airport (KRI) | Kikori, Papua New Guinea | |
| 14 | 125.65 miles (202.21 km) S | Ihu Airport (IHU) | Ihu, Papua New Guinea | |
| 15 | 132.61 miles (213.41 km) SSE | Kerema Airport (KMA) | Kerema, Papua New Guinea | |
| Rank | Distance & Direction | Airport Name & IATA Code | Airport Location | Further Actions |
| 1 | 11,733.98 miles (18,883.96 km) NNW | Governador Carlos Wilson Airport (FEN) | Fernando de Noronha, Pernambuco, Brazil | |
| 2 | 11,703.87 miles (18,835.51 km) NNE | Pinto Martins – Fortaleza International Airport (FOR) | Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil | |
| 3 | 11,645.63 miles (18,741.77 km) NE | Parnaíba–Prefeito Dr. João Silva Filho International Airport (PHB) | Parnaiba, Piaui, Brazil | |
| 4 | 11,634.78 miles (18,724.32 km) NNE | Gov. Dix-Sept Rosado Airport (MVF) | Mossoro, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil | |
| 5 | 11,607.19 miles (18,679.91 km) N | Augusto Severo International Airport (NAT) | Natal, Brazil | |
| 6 | 11,604.45 miles (18,675.50 km) NE | Barreirinhas Airport (BRB) | Barreirinhas, Maranhão, Brazil | |
| 7 | 11,542.37 miles (18,575.59 km) NE | Marechal Cunha Machado International Airport (Tirirical) (SLZ) | São Luís, Brazil | |
| 8 | 11,522.56 miles (18,543.72 km) S | Presidente Castro Pinto International Airport (JPA) | João Pessoa, Paraíba, Brazil | |
| 9 | 11,519.07 miles (18,538.10 km) NW | São Filipe Airport (SFL) | Fogo, Cape Verde | |
| 10 | 11,510.09 miles (18,523.64 km) S | Presidente João Suassuna Airport (CPV) | Campina Grande, Paraíba, Brazil | |
| 11 | 11,504.69 miles (18,514.96 km) NW | Mosteiros Airport (MTI) | Mosteiros, Cape Verde | |
| 12 | 11,480.81 miles (18,476.53 km) NE | Teresina–Senador Petrônio Portella Airport (THE) | Teresina, Piauí, Brazil | |
| 13 | 11,466.20 miles (18,453.01 km) NW | Praia International Airport (RAI) | Praia, Cape Verde | |
| 14 | 11,454.88 miles (18,434.79 km) S | Recife/Guararapes–Gilberto Freyre International Airport (REC) | Recife, Brazil | |
| 15 | 11,452.56 miles (18,431.06 km) NW | Cesária Évora International Airport (VXE) | São Vicente, Cape Verde | |
| Rank | Distance & Direction | Airport Name & IATA Code | Airport Location | Further Actions |
| 1 | 7.04 miles (11.33 km) S | Rapid City Regional Airport (RAP) | Rapid City, South Dakota, United States | |
| 2 | 41.93 miles (67.49 km) WNW | Black Hills Airport (SPF) | Spearfish, South Dakota, United States | |
| 3 | 82.62 miles (132.96 km) SSE | Pine Ridge Airport (XPR) | Pine Ridge, South Dakota, United States | |
| 4 | 90.44 miles (145.55 km) S | Chadron Municipal Airport (CDR) | Chadron, Nebraska, United States | |
| 5 | 122.78 miles (197.60 km) W | Gillette–Campbell County Airport (GCC) | Gillette, Wyoming, United States | |
| 6 | 138.94 miles (223.59 km) E | Pierre Regional Airport (PIR) | Pierre, South Dakota, United States | |
| 7 | 142.03 miles (228.58 km) N | Bowman Municipal Airport (BWM) | Bowman, North Dakota, United States | |
| 8 | 145.26 miles (233.77 km) S | Alliance Municipal Airport (AIA) | Alliance, Nebraska, United States | |
| 9 | 148.71 miles (239.33 km) SW | Converse County Airport (DGW) | Douglas, Wyoming, United States | |
| 10 | 153.78 miles (247.49 km) SSW | Torrington Municipal Airport (TOR) | Torrington, Wyoming, United States | |
| 11 | 154.79 miles (249.12 km) SE | Miller Field (VTN) | Valentine, Nebraska, United States | |
| 12 | 159.20 miles (256.21 km) S | Western Nebraska Regional Airport (BFF) | Scottsbluff, Nebraska, United States | |
| 13 | 162.60 miles (261.68 km) NE | Mobridge Municipal Airport (MBG) | Mobridge, South Dakota, United States | |
| 14 | 183.63 miles (295.52 km) N | Dickinson Theodore Roosevelt Regional Airport (DIK) | Dickinson, North Dakota, United States | |
| 15 | 188.89 miles (303.99 km) SE | Ainsworth Regional Airport (ANW) | Ainsworth, Nebraska, United States | |
| Rank | Distance & Direction | Airport Name & IATA Code | Airport Location | Further Actions |
| 1 | 10,579.32 miles (17,025.72 km) SSE | Sir Gaëtan Duval Airport (RRG) | Rodrigues Island, Mauritius | |
| 2 | 10,460.72 miles (16,834.85 km) SE | Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport (MRU) | Plaisance, Mauritius | |
| 3 | 10,437.71 miles (16,797.83 km) SE | Pierrefonds Airport (ZSE) | Saint-Pierre, Réunion | |
| 4 | 10,415.77 miles (16,762.51 km) SE | Roland Garros Airport (RUN) | St Denis, Réunion, France | |
| 5 | 10,301.11 miles (16,577.99 km) ESE | Tôlanaro Airport (FTU) | Tôlanaro, Madagascar | |
| 6 | 10,292.17 miles (16,563.61 km) W | Margaret River Airport (MGV) | Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia | |
| 7 | 10,268.77 miles (16,525.95 km) W | Busselton Regional Airport (BQB) | Busselton, Western Australia, Australia | |
| 8 | 10,252.53 miles (16,499.80 km) W | Manjimup Airport (MJP) | Manjimup, Western Australia, Australia | |
| 9 | 10,244.09 miles (16,486.22 km) W | Bunbury Airport (BUY) | Bunbury, Western Australia, Australia | |
| 10 | 10,200.19 miles (16,415.58 km) W | Rottnest Airport (RTS) | Rottnest Island, Western Australia, Australia | |
| 11 | 10,193.03 miles (16,404.05 km) W | Albany Airport (ALH) | Albany, Western Australia, Australia | |
| 12 | 10,186.88 miles (16,394.16 km) W | Jandakot Airport (JAD) | Jandakot, Western Australia, Australia | |
| 13 | 10,186.40 miles (16,393.38 km) ESE | Ampanihy Airport (AMP) | Ampanihy, Madagascar | |
| 14 | 10,176.73 miles (16,377.83 km) W | Perth Airport (PER) | Perth, Western Australia, Australia | |
| 15 | 10,162.30 miles (16,354.60 km) SE | Mananjary Airport (MNJ) | Mananjary, Madagascar | |