Nonstop flight route between Greenville / Spartanburg, South Carolina, United States and Rapid City, South Dakota, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Greenville–Spartanburg International Airport (GSP), Greenville / Spartanburg, South Carolina, United States and Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA), Rapid City, South Dakota, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 1,277 miles (or 2,055 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 Greenville–Spartanburg 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 Greenville–Spartanburg International Airport (GSP):

• Prior to GSP, Greenville and Spartanburg had separate airports and competed for airline service.
• In addition to being known as "Greenville–Spartanburg International Airport", another name for GSP is "Roger Milliken Field".
• Greenville–Spartanburg International Airport handled 1,856,316 passengers last year.
• The airport covers 3,500 acres and has one runway, 4/22, 11,001 x 150 ft asphalt/concrete.
• Greenville–Spartanburg International Airport (GSP) currently has only 1 runway.
• Because of Greenville–Spartanburg International Airport's relatively low elevation of 964 feet, planes can take off or land at Greenville–Spartanburg 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 closest airport to Greenville–Spartanburg International Airport (GSP) is Greenville Downtown Airport (GMU), which is located only 8 miles (13 kilometers) WSW of GSP.
• Local officials attribute Southwest's presence to an unprecedented 38 percent growth in passenger figures between 2010 and 2011.
• GSP has six airlines and their regional affiliates.
• The airport can handle up to 250 passengers per hour through immigration and customs checkpoints.
• Greenville–Spartanburg International Airport is near Greer, South Carolina, midway between Greenville and Spartanburg, the major cities of the Upstate region.
• The furthest airport from Greenville–Spartanburg International Airport (GSP) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,449 miles (18,425 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.

Facts about Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA):

• An AN/MPS-14 height-finder radar was added in 1956.
• In addition to being known as "Ellsworth Air Force Base", another name for RCA is "Ellsworth AFB".
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Rapid City AAB was reactivated on 11 October 1945 and was assigned to Continental Air Force.
• 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.
• Shortly after additional runway improvements, in July 1949, the 28 BMW began conversion from B-29s to the huge B-36 Peacemaker.