Nonstop flight route between Pardubice, Czech Republic and Rapid City, South Dakota, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Pardubice Airport (PED), Pardubice, Czech Republic and Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA), Rapid City, South Dakota, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,965 miles (or 7,990 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 Pardubice 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 Pardubice 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 Pardubice Airport (PED):

• The closest airport to Pardubice Airport (PED) is Vodochody Airport (VOD), which is located 61 miles (98 kilometers) WNW of PED.
• Since 1950 the airport was used only for the military.
• Pardubice Airport (PED) currently has only 1 runway.
• Pardubice Airport is a military airport permitted to handle international civil air traffic in the city of Pardubice, Czech Republic.
• Because of Pardubice Airport's relatively low elevation of 741 feet, planes can take off or land at Pardubice 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.
• Pardubice Airport handled 125 passengers last year.
• In addition to being known as "Pardubice Airport", another name for PED is "Letiště Pardubice".
• In 1910 Jan Kašpar, an engineer and aviation enthusiast, and his cousin Eugen Čihák, bought a Bleriot XI aeroplane and started with flight experiments on the local military exercise ground in Pardubice.
• The furthest airport from Pardubice Airport (PED) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is located 11,721 miles (18,862 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.

Facts about Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA):

• 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 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".
• The 12th Air Division moved to Ellsworth on 15 July 1988.
• Air Defense Command deactivated the Ellsworth radar site on 15 August 1962 and the 740th was discontinued.
• The base experienced one of its worst peacetime tragedies in March 1953 when an RB-36 and its entire crew of 23 crashed in Newfoundland while returning from a routine exercise in Europe.
• The host unit at Ellsworth is the 28th Bomb Wing assigned to the Air Combat Command's Twelfth Air Force.
• 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.
• Rapid City AAF was assigned to the 17th Bombardment Training Wing, II Bomber Command.