Nonstop flight route between Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and Bridgetown, Barbados:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA), Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and Grantley Adams International Airport (BGI), Bridgetown, Barbados would travel a Great Circle distance of 3,344 miles (or 5,382 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 Grantley Adams International Airport, 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 Grantley Adams International Airport. 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):

• The installation changed names a few more times during its early years.
• The airfield was again temporarily shut down from September 1946 – March 1947 and underwent a major construction program to upgrade the temporary wartime facilities to that of a permanent base.
• 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.
• Ellsworth AFB was established in 1941 as Rapid City Army Air Base.
• The Titan I's life span was short in western South Dakota.
• Shortly after additional runway improvements, in July 1949, the 28 BMW began conversion from B-29s to the huge B-36 Peacemaker.
• 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.
• 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.
• Military organizations periodically upgrade manpower and machines from time to time to meet new national security requirements and Ellsworth Air Force Base's organizations were no exception.
• In addition to being known as "Ellsworth Air Force Base", another name for RCA is "Ellsworth AFB".
• 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.

Facts about Grantley Adams International Airport (BGI):

• In addition to being known as "Grantley Adams International Airport", another name for BGI is "78954[1][2][4]".
• Grantley Adams International Airport (BGI) currently has only 1 runway.
• The furthest airport from Grantley Adams International Airport (BGI) is Tardamu Airport (SAU), which is nearly antipodal to Grantley Adams International Airport (meaning Grantley Adams International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Tardamu Airport), and is located 12,231 miles (19,684 kilometers) away in Savu Island, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia.
• Phase I, which is now complete, saw an upgrading of the runways, taxiways, parking aprons, and approach lighting.
• Grantley Adams International Airport, as it is known today, handles most large aircraft including Boeing 747s.
• The closest airport to Grantley Adams International Airport (BGI) is Hewanorra International Airport (UVF), which is located 108 miles (174 kilometers) WNW of BGI.
• As of 2008, parking is available outside the airport at a rate of Bds$2.00 per hour or a maximum rate Bds$12.00 daily.