Nonstop flight route between Kalaupapa, Hawaii, United States and Rapid City, South Dakota, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Kalaupapa Airport (LUP), Kalaupapa, Hawaii, United States and Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA), Rapid City, South Dakota, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 3,437 miles (or 5,532 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 Kalaupapa 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 Kalaupapa 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 Kalaupapa Airport (LUP):

• Kalaupapa Airport (LUP) currently has only 1 runway.
• Facilities include a small passenger terminal and airport support areas.
• On December 11, 2013, a Makani Kai Air Cessna Grand Caravan bound for Honolulu crashed into the ocean shortly after taking off from Kalauapapa.
• The furthest airport from Kalaupapa Airport (LUP) is Maun Airport (MUB), which is nearly antipodal to Kalaupapa Airport (meaning Kalaupapa Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Maun Airport), and is located 12,347 miles (19,871 kilometers) away in Maun, Botswana.
• The closest airport to Kalaupapa Airport (LUP) is Molokai Airport (MKK), which is located only 9 miles (14 kilometers) WSW of LUP.
• The airport offers scheduled passenger service from Makani Kai Air, which began providing Essential Air Service subsidized scheduled passenger service in January 2012, using two nine-seat Cessna Grand Caravans.
• Kalaupapa Airport covers an area of 55 acres at an elevation of 24 feet above mean sea level.
• Because of Kalaupapa Airport's relatively low elevation of 24 feet, planes can take off or land at Kalaupapa 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.

Facts about Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA):

• An AN/MPS-14 height-finder radar was added in 1956.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Shortly after additional runway improvements, in July 1949, the 28 BMW began conversion from B-29s to the huge B-36 Peacemaker.
• In addition to being known as "Ellsworth Air Force Base", another name for RCA is "Ellsworth AFB".
• On 1 June 1992, as part of the first major reorganization since the creation of USAF, the Air Force inactivated Strategic Air Command and assigned Ellsworth's organizations ) to the newly activated Air Combat Command.
• The installation changed names a few more times during its early years.
• 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.
• 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.
• Ellsworth AFB is 10 miles east of Rapid City, S.D.
• 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.