Nonstop flight route between Gulf Shores, Alabama, United States and Rapid City, South Dakota, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Jack Edwards Airport (GUF), Gulf Shores, Alabama, United States and Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA), Rapid City, South Dakota, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 1,274 miles (or 2,051 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 Jack Edwards 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 Jack Edwards Airport (GUF):

• Jack Edwards Airport is a public use airport in Baldwin County, Alabama, United States.
• The furthest airport from Jack Edwards Airport (GUF) is Cocos (Keeling) Island Airport (CCK), which is located 11,153 miles (17,950 kilometers) away in Cocos Islands, Australia.
• In addition to being known as "Jack Edwards Airport", another name for GUF is "JKA".
• Because of Jack Edwards Airport's relatively low elevation of 17 feet, planes can take off or land at Jack Edwards 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.
• Jack Edwards Airport (GUF) has 2 runways.
• The closest airport to Jack Edwards Airport (GUF) is NOLF Barin (NHX), which is located only 7 miles (12 kilometers) NNE of GUF.

Facts about Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA):

• 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.
• An Army Air-Defense Command Post was established at Ellsworth in 1960 for Nike missile command-and-control functions.
• 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".
• 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 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 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.