Nonstop flight route between Governador Valadares, Minas Gerais, Brazil and Rapid City, South Dakota, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Coronel Altino Machado de Oliveira Airport (GVR), Governador Valadares, Minas Gerais, Brazil and Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA), Rapid City, South Dakota, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,811 miles (or 9,352 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 Coronel Altino Machado de Oliveira 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 Coronel Altino Machado de Oliveira 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 Coronel Altino Machado de Oliveira Airport (GVR):

• In addition to being known as "Coronel Altino Machado de Oliveira Airport", another name for GVR is "Aeroporto Coronel Altino Machado de Oliveira".
• Because of Coronel Altino Machado de Oliveira Airport's relatively low elevation of 561 feet, planes can take off or land at Coronel Altino Machado de Oliveira 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 furthest airport from Coronel Altino Machado de Oliveira Airport (GVR) is Central Field (Iwo Jima)Motoyama No. 2Airfield No. 2 (IWO), which is located 11,978 miles (19,277 kilometers) away in Iwo Jima, Bonin Islands, Japan.
• The closest airport to Coronel Altino Machado de Oliveira Airport (GVR) is Usiminas Airport (IPN), which is located 51 miles (83 kilometers) SW of GVR.
• Coronel Altino Machado de Oliveira Airport (GVR) currently has only 1 runway.

Facts about Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA):

• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• In March 1994, Ellsworth welcomed the 34th Bomb Squadron, a geographically separated unit that was awaiting airfield upgrades before it could return to its parent organization, the 366th Wing, at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho.
• After the Army closed their facilities, the military housing at the Nike Integrated Fire Control sites was transferred to control of Ellsworth, and was used as Air Force military family housing until about 1990.
• In addition to being known as "Ellsworth Air Force Base", another name for RCA is "Ellsworth AFB".
• 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.