Nonstop flight route between Oviedo, Asturias, Spain and Rapid City, South Dakota, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Asturias Airport (OVD), Oviedo, Asturias, Spain and Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA), Rapid City, South Dakota, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,519 miles (or 7,272 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 Asturias 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 Asturias 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 Asturias Airport (OVD):

• Asturias Airport (OVD) currently has only 1 runway.
• In addition to being known as "Asturias Airport", another name for OVD is "Aeropuerto de Asturias".
• In 2003, a series of improvements were made to the airport, that would enable it to handle a higher volume of passengers and aircraft traffic.
• The furthest airport from Asturias Airport (OVD) is Christchurch International Airport (CHC), which is nearly antipodal to Asturias Airport (meaning Asturias Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Christchurch International Airport), and is located 12,365 miles (19,899 kilometers) away in Christchurch, New Zealand.
• The closest airport to Asturias Airport (OVD) is León Airport (LEN), which is located 70 miles (113 kilometers) SSE of OVD.
• Because of Asturias Airport's relatively low elevation of 226 feet, planes can take off or land at Asturias 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.
• In 1980, the airport underwent its first major expansion in preparation for the 1982 football World Cup in Spain.

Facts about Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA):

• Ellsworth AFB is 10 miles east of Rapid City, S.D.
• 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 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.
• An AN/MPS-14 height-finder radar was added in 1956.
• Air Defense Command deactivated the Ellsworth radar site on 15 August 1962 and the 740th was discontinued.
• Internationally, the destruction of the Berlin Wall in October 1989 symbolized the imminent demise of the Soviet Union over the next several months.
• 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.
• Ellsworth's population of approximately 8,000 includes military members, family members and civilian employees.
• The installation changed names a few more times during its early years.
• In addition to being known as "Ellsworth Air Force Base", another name for RCA is "Ellsworth AFB".