Nonstop flight route between Chichester, England, United Kingdom and Rapid City, South Dakota, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Chichester/Goodwood Airport (QUG), Chichester, England, United Kingdom and Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA), Rapid City, South Dakota, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,399 miles (or 7,079 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 Chichester/Goodwood 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 Chichester/Goodwood 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 Chichester/Goodwood Airport (QUG):

• The airfield was built during the Second World War by the Royal Air Force as a relief landing ground for nearby RAF Tangmere.
• The furthest airport from Chichester/Goodwood Airport (QUG) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is located 11,910 miles (19,167 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
• Because of Chichester/Goodwood Airport's relatively low elevation of 110 feet, planes can take off or land at Chichester/Goodwood 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.
• The closest airport to Chichester/Goodwood Airport (QUG) is Bembridge Airport (BBP), which is located only 20 miles (32 kilometers) SW of QUG.
• After the war the airfield was returned to the Goodwood Estate and the perimeter track of the airfield has been used since the late 1940s for motor racing and called the Goodwood Circuit.
• Chichester/Goodwood Airport (QUG) has 4 runways.
• In addition to being known as "Chichester/Goodwood Airport", other names for QUG include "Goodwood Airfield" and "Goodwood Aerodrome".
• During the Battle of Britain two fighter squadrons were based at Westhampnett.

Facts about Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA):

• In March 1944, heavy bomber operational training ended and the 225th Army Air Force Base Unit began training of replacement personnel for deployed heavy bombardment units in the overseas combat theaters.
• 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 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.
• After the Army closed their facilities, the military housing at the Nike Integrated Fire Control sites was transferred to control of Ellsworth, and was used as Air Force military family housing until about 1990.
• Ellsworth AFB is 10 miles east of Rapid City, S.D.
• 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 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.