Nonstop flight route between Kulusuk, Greenland and Rapid City, South Dakota, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Kulusuk Airport (KUS), Kulusuk, Greenland and Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA), Rapid City, South Dakota, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 2,831 miles (or 4,555 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 Kulusuk 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 Kulusuk 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 Kulusuk Airport (KUS):

• In addition to being known as "Kulusuk Airport", another name for KUS is "Mittarfik Kulusuk".
• The closest airport to Kulusuk Airport (KUS) is Tasiilaq Heliport (AGM), which is located only 14 miles (23 kilometers) W of KUS.
• The airstrip was built by the US defense in 1956, in order to support a Distant Early Warning Line station.
• The furthest airport from Kulusuk Airport (KUS) is Hobart International Airport (HBA), which is located 10,856 miles (17,471 kilometers) away in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia.
• Because of Kulusuk Airport's relatively low elevation of 117 feet, planes can take off or land at Kulusuk 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.
• There is no deicing equipment at the airport, which is costly and problematic in Greenlandic winter.
• The waiting hall is not sufficient to accommodate all passengers, resulting in a pre-boarding chaos.
• Kulusuk Airport (KUS) currently has only 1 runway.
• Kulusuk Airport handled 14,738 passengers last year.
• Unlike the heliport in Tasiilaq on the nearby Ammassalik Island, the airport in Kulusuk can serve STOL aircraft, thus functioning as a mini-hub for Tasiilaq.

Facts about Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA):

• The 12th Air Division moved to Ellsworth on 15 July 1988.
• In addition to being known as "Ellsworth Air Force Base", another name for RCA is "Ellsworth AFB".
• 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 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 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.
• Air Defense Command deactivated the Ellsworth radar site on 15 August 1962 and the 740th was discontinued.
• On 2 January 1942, the U.S.
• The 740th AC&W Squadron began operations in 1955 with AN/MPS-7 search radar, and initially the station functioned as a Ground-Control Intercept and warning station.
• Military organizations periodically upgrade manpower and machines from time to time to meet new national security requirements and Ellsworth Air Force Base's organizations were no exception.