Nonstop flight route between Hefei, Anhui, China and Rapid City, South Dakota, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Hefei Luogang International Airport (HFE), Hefei, Anhui, China and Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA), Rapid City, South Dakota, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 6,607 miles (or 10,632 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 Hefei Luogang 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 Hefei Luogang 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 Hefei Luogang International Airport (HFE):

• The furthest airport from Hefei Luogang International Airport (HFE) is Ingeniero Aeronáutico Ambrosio L.V. Taravella International Airport (COR), which is nearly antipodal to Hefei Luogang International Airport (meaning Hefei Luogang International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Ingeniero Aeronáutico Ambrosio L.V. Taravella International Airport), and is located 12,342 miles (19,863 kilometers) away in Córdoba, Córdoba, Argentina.
• In addition to being known as "Hefei Luogang International Airport", other names for HFE include "合肥骆岗国际机场" and "Héféi Luògǎng Guójì Jīchǎng".
• Because of Hefei Luogang International Airport's relatively low elevation of 108 feet, planes can take off or land at Hefei Luogang 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.
• Hefei Luogang International Airport (HFE) currently has only 1 runway.
• Hefei Luogang International Airport handled 4,398,739 passengers last year.
• The closest airport to Hefei Luogang International Airport (HFE) is Bengbu Airport (BFU), which is located 74 miles (119 kilometers) N of HFE.

Facts about Ellsworth Air Force Base (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.
• In addition to being known as "Ellsworth Air Force Base", another name for RCA is "Ellsworth AFB".
• 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 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.
• Ellsworth Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located approximately 10 miles northeast of Rapid City, South Dakota just north of Box Elder, South Dakota.
• On 15 July 1945, the 225th AAFBU was inactivated and Rapid City AAB was placed on standby status as the Army Air Forces began to demobilize.
• An AN/MPS-14 height-finder radar was added in 1956.
• 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.
• An Army Air-Defense Command Post was established at Ellsworth in 1960 for Nike missile command-and-control functions.
• Ellsworth AFB is 10 miles east of Rapid City, S.D.
• The 44th Missile Wing, however, had ably accomplished its deterrence mission.