Nonstop flight route between Klaipėda, Lithuania and Rapid City, South Dakota, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Klaipėda Airport (KLJ), Klaipėda, Lithuania and Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA), Rapid City, South Dakota, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,813 miles (or 7,746 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 Klaipėda 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 Klaipėda 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 Klaipėda Airport (KLJ):

• The furthest airport from Klaipėda Airport (KLJ) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is located 11,303 miles (18,190 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
• Because of Klaipėda Airport's relatively low elevation of 59 feet, planes can take off or land at Klaipėda 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 Klaipėda Airport (KLJ) is Palanga Airport (PLQ), which is located only 19 miles (31 kilometers) NNW of KLJ.
• Scheduled commercial air service for Klaipėda region is provided at Palanga International Airport, located 30 kilometers north of the city.
• In addition to being known as "Klaipėda Airport", another name for KLJ is "Klaipėdos oro uostas".
• Klaipėda Airport (KLJ) has 2 runways.

Facts about Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA):

• An Army Air-Defense Command Post was established at Ellsworth in 1960 for Nike missile command-and-control functions.
• Air Defense Command activated the 740th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron at Rapid City AFB on 1 February 1953 under the ADC 31st Air Division.
• 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.
• 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.
• When operations resumed in 1947 the base was a new United States Air Force asset.
• 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.
• 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.
• Ellsworth's population of approximately 8,000 includes military members, family members and civilian employees.
• An AN/MPS-14 height-finder radar was added in 1956.