Nonstop flight route between Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and Bergen, Norway:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA), Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and Bergen-Flesland International Airport (BGO), Bergen, Norway would travel a Great Circle distance of 4,176 miles (or 6,721 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 Bergen-Flesland 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 Bergen-Flesland 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 740th AC&W Squadron began operations in 1955 with AN/MPS-7 search radar, and initially the station functioned as a Ground-Control Intercept and warning station.
• 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.
• The mission of the 28th Bomb Wing is to deliver decisive combat power for global response.
• Rapid City AAB was reactivated on 11 October 1945 and was assigned to Continental Air Force.
• In addition to being known as "Ellsworth Air Force Base", another name for RCA is "Ellsworth AFB".
• Ellsworth AFB was established in 1941 as Rapid City Army Air Base.
• In 1986, the base and the 28 BMW made extensive preparations to phase out the aging B-52 fleet and become the second home for the advanced B-1B Lancer.
• An Army Air-Defense Command Post was established at Ellsworth in 1960 for Nike missile command-and-control functions.
• 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.

Facts about Bergen-Flesland International Airport (BGO):

• Bergen-Flesland International Airport (BGO) currently has only 1 runway.
• Bergen-Flesland International Airport handled 6,213,960 passengers last year.
• The current terminal opened in 1988, was also designed by Halfdan Grieg and cost NOK 250 million.
• The airport as a single 2,990 by 45 meters runway numbered 17–35.
• Engineering reports were made of both Herdla and Flesland in 1950 and 1951.
• The furthest airport from Bergen-Flesland International Airport (BGO) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is located 11,296 miles (18,179 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
• In addition to being known as "Bergen-Flesland International Airport", another name for BGO is "Bergen lufthavn, Flesland".
• The closest airport to Bergen-Flesland International Airport (BGO) is Stord Airport, Sørstokken (SRP), which is located 35 miles (56 kilometers) S of BGO.
• Financing was instead secured through a national military communications project, of which 16 million Norwegian krone was set aside over a period of three years, which would secure construction of a 1,460-meter runway.
• Because of Bergen-Flesland International Airport's relatively low elevation of 166 feet, planes can take off or land at Bergen-Flesland International 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.