Nonstop flight route between Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and Arapahoe County, Colorado, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA), Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and Centennial Airport (APA), Arapahoe County, Colorado, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 329 miles (or 530 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 relatively short distance between Ellsworth Air Force Base and Centennial Airport, the route shown on this map most likely still appears to be a straight line.

Departure Airport Information:

Arrival Airport Information:

Facts about Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA):

• To provide air defense of the base, the United States Army established the Ellsworth AFB Defense Area in 1957 and constructed Nike-Ajax Surface-to-air missile sites for air defense.
• 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 activated the 740th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron at Rapid City AFB on 1 February 1953 under the ADC 31st Air Division.
• On 15 July 1945, the 225th AAFBU was inactivated and Rapid City AAB was placed on standby status as the Army Air Forces began to demobilize.
• Ellsworth's population of approximately 8,000 includes military members, family members and civilian employees.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• In addition to being known as "Ellsworth Air Force Base", another name for RCA is "Ellsworth AFB".

Facts about Centennial Airport (APA):

• Centennial Airport (APA) has 3 runways.
• Because of Centennial Airport's high elevation of 5,885 feet, planes must typically fly at a faster airspeed in order to takeoff or land at APA. Combined with a high temperature, this could make APA a "Hot & High" airport, where the air density is lower than it would otherwise be at sea level.
• In 1985 a new control tower was built.
• The closest airport to Centennial Airport (APA) is Denver International Airport (DEN), which is located 22 miles (36 kilometers) NNE of APA.
• Centennial Airport is a public use airport in Arapahoe County, Colorado, United States.
• The furthest airport from Centennial Airport (APA) is Sir Gaëtan Duval Airport (RRG), which is located 10,899 miles (17,540 kilometers) away in Rodrigues Island, Mauritius.