Nonstop flight route between Phaplu, Nepal and Rapid City, South Dakota, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Phaplu Airport (PPL), Phaplu, Nepal and Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA), Rapid City, South Dakota, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 7,448 miles (or 11,986 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 Phaplu 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 Phaplu 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 Phaplu Airport (PPL):

• Because of Phaplu Airport's high elevation of 7,918 feet, planes must typically fly at a faster airspeed in order to takeoff or land at PPL. Combined with a high temperature, this could make PPL a "Hot & High" airport, where the air density is lower than it would otherwise be at sea level.
• The furthest airport from Phaplu Airport (PPL) is Mataveri International Airport (IPC), which is located 11,455 miles (18,435 kilometers) away in Easter Island, Chile.
• The closest airport to Phaplu Airport (PPL) is Tenzing-Hillary Airport (LUA), which is located only 15 miles (24 kilometers) NE of PPL.

Facts about Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA):

• In addition to being known as "Ellsworth Air Force Base", another name for RCA is "Ellsworth AFB".
• 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.
• Ellsworth AFB is 10 miles east of Rapid City, S.D.
• Rapid City AAB was reactivated on 11 October 1945 and was assigned to Continental Air Force.
• 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.
• Shortly after additional runway improvements, in July 1949, the 28 BMW began conversion from B-29s to the huge B-36 Peacemaker.
• On 1 June 1971, SAC deactivated the 821st Strategic Aerospace Division and by October of that year, an upgraded LGM-30F Minuteman II also replaced the Minuteman I missiles.