Nonstop flight route between Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and Moscow, Russia:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA), Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and Bykovo Airport (BKA), Moscow, Russia would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,180 miles (or 8,336 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 Bykovo 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 Bykovo 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):

• In addition to being known as "Ellsworth Air Force Base", another name for RCA is "Ellsworth AFB".
• Rapid City AAB was reactivated on 11 October 1945 and was assigned to Continental Air Force.
• 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.
• Air Defense Command deactivated the Ellsworth radar site on 15 August 1962 and the 740th was discontinued.
• 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.
• 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.
• Internationally, the destruction of the Berlin Wall in October 1989 symbolized the imminent demise of the Soviet Union over the next several months.
• Ellsworth AFB is 10 miles east of Rapid City, S.D.
• The installation changed names a few more times during its early years.

Facts about Bykovo Airport (BKA):

• Because of Bykovo Airport's relatively low elevation of 432 feet, planes can take off or land at Bykovo 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.
• The closest airport to Bykovo Airport (BKA) is Moscow Domodedovo Airport (DME), which is located only 16 miles (26 kilometers) SSW of BKA.
• Bykovo Airport (BKA) currently has only 1 runway.
• The airport shares the grounds with the Bykovo Aircraft Repair Facility, specializing in repairs and overhauls of Soloviev D-30 turbofans.
• On 18 October 2010 passenger operations at the airport were shut down due to the expiration of lease terms with the management company.
• The furthest airport from Bykovo Airport (BKA) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is located 10,717 miles (17,247 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
• In addition to being known as "Bykovo Airport", another name for BKA is "Аэропорт Быково".