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):

• The closest airport to Kalaupapa Airport (LUP) is Molokai Airport (MKK), which is located only 9 miles (14 kilometers) WSW of LUP.
• Kalaupapa Airport covers an area of 55 acres at an elevation of 24 feet above mean sea level.
• Kalaupapa Airport (LUP) currently has only 1 runway.
• 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 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.
• 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.
• 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):

• 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.
• 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.
• Rapid City AAF was assigned to the 17th Bombardment Training Wing, II Bomber Command.
• 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 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 12th Air Division moved to Ellsworth on 15 July 1988.