Nonstop flight route between Kiffa, Mauritania and Rapid City, South Dakota, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Kiffa Airport (KFA), Kiffa, Mauritania and Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA), Rapid City, South Dakota, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,507 miles (or 8,862 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 Kiffa 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 Kiffa 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 Kiffa Airport (KFA):

• Because of Kiffa Airport's relatively low elevation of 423 feet, planes can take off or land at Kiffa 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.
• Kiffa Airport (KFA) currently has only 1 runway.
• The furthest airport from Kiffa Airport (KFA) is Tongoa Airport (TGH), which is nearly antipodal to Kiffa Airport (meaning Kiffa Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Tongoa Airport), and is located 12,416 miles (19,981 kilometers) away in Tongoa, Shefa Province, Vanuatu.
• The closest airport to Kiffa Airport (KFA) is Tamchakett Airport (THT), which is located 59 miles (95 kilometers) NE of KFA.

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.
• The installation changed names a few more times during its early years.
• 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 October 1960, Ellsworth entered the "Space Age," with the activation of the 850th Strategic Missile Squadron, initially assigned to the 28 BMW.
• 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.