Nonstop flight route between Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and Attu Island, Alaska, United States:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from RCA to ATU:
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- About this route
- RCA Airport Information
- ATU Airport Information
- Facts about RCA
- Facts about ATU
- Map of Nearest Airports to RCA
- List of Nearest Airports to RCA
- Map of Furthest Airports from RCA
- List of Furthest Airports from RCA
- Map of Nearest Airports to ATU
- List of Nearest Airports to ATU
- Map of Furthest Airports from ATU
- List of Furthest Airports from ATU
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA), Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and Casco Cove Coast Guard Station (ATU), Attu Island, Alaska, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 3,660 miles (or 5,890 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 Ellsworth Air Force Base and Casco Cove Coast Guard Station, 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 Ellsworth Air Force Base and Casco Cove Coast Guard Station. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | RCA / KRCA |
Airport Names: |
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Location: | Rapid City, South Dakota, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 44°8'47"N by 103°4'28"W |
View all routes: | Routes from RCA |
More Information: | RCA Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | ATU / PAAT |
Airport Names: |
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Location: | Attu Island, Alaska, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 52°49'57"N by 173°10'32"E |
Operator/Owner: | U.S. Coast Guard 17th Dist. |
Airport Type: | Private use |
Elevation: | 88 feet (27 meters) |
# of Runways: | 1 |
View all routes: | Routes from ATU |
More Information: | ATU Maps & Info |
Facts about Ellsworth Air Force Base (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.
- On 2 January 1942, the U.S.
- In addition to being known as "Ellsworth Air Force Base", another name for RCA is "Ellsworth AFB".
- An AN/MPS-14 height-finder radar was added in 1956.
- Rapid City AAB was reactivated on 11 October 1945 and was assigned to Continental Air Force.
- The installation changed names a few more times during its early years.
- The Titan I's life span was short in western South Dakota.
- 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.
Facts about Casco Cove Coast Guard Station (ATU):
- Casco Cove CGS resides at elevation of 88 feet above mean sea level.
- Casco Cove Coast Guard Station (ATU) currently has only 1 runway.
- The closest airport to Casco Cove Coast Guard Station (ATU) is Eareckson Air Station (SYA), which is located 40 miles (65 kilometers) ESE of ATU.
- The furthest airport from Casco Cove Coast Guard Station (ATU) is Cape Town International Airport (CPT), which is located 10,631 miles (17,109 kilometers) away in Cape Town, South Africa.
- In addition to being known as "Casco Cove Coast Guard Station", other names for ATU include "LORAN Station Attu" and "(former Naval Air Facility Attu)".
- Because of Casco Cove Coast Guard Station's relatively low elevation of 88 feet, planes can take off or land at Casco Cove Coast Guard Station 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 Casco Cove Airport was a LORAN navigation station operated by the United States Coast Guard.