Nonstop flight route between Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and Buenos Aires, Costa Rica:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA), Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and Buenos Aires Airporrt (BAI), Buenos Aires, Costa Rica would travel a Great Circle distance of 2,691 miles (or 4,331 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 Buenos Aires Airporrt, 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 Buenos Aires Airporrt. 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 Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA):

• Ellsworth AFB was established in 1941 as Rapid City Army Air Base.
• When operations resumed in 1947 the base was a new United States Air Force asset.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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 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 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.

Facts about Buenos Aires Airporrt (BAI):

• Buenos Aires Airporrt (BAI) currently has only 1 runway.
• The furthest airport from Buenos Aires Airporrt (BAI) is Cocos (Keeling) Island Airport (CCK), which is nearly antipodal to Buenos Aires Airporrt (meaning Buenos Aires Airporrt is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Cocos (Keeling) Island Airport), and is located 12,228 miles (19,678 kilometers) away in Cocos Islands, Australia.
• The closest airport to Buenos Aires Airporrt (BAI) is Palmar Sur Airport (PMZ), which is located only 17 miles (28 kilometers) SSW of BAI.