Nonstop flight route between Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and Bamako, Mali:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA), Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and Bamako Senou International Airport (BKO), Bamako, Mali would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,867 miles (or 9,443 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 Bamako Senou 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 Bamako Senou 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):

• 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.
• Ellsworth Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located approximately 10 miles northeast of Rapid City, South Dakota just north of Box Elder, South Dakota.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• The host unit at Ellsworth is the 28th Bomb Wing assigned to the Air Combat Command's Twelfth Air Force.
• In addition to being known as "Ellsworth Air Force Base", another name for RCA is "Ellsworth AFB".
• 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.
• 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 Bamako Senou International Airport (BKO):

• The closest airport to Bamako Senou International Airport (BKO) is Siguiri Airport (GII), which is located 113 miles (181 kilometers) SW of BKO.
• Bamako Senou International Airport is Mali's main airport approximately 15 km south of downtown Bamako, the capital of Mali in West Africa.
• Total air traffic at BKO increased by 12.4% in 2007 and 14% in 2008.
• The furthest airport from Bamako Senou International Airport (BKO) is Mota Lava Airport (MTV), which is nearly antipodal to Bamako Senou International Airport (meaning Bamako Senou International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Mota Lava Airport), and is located 12,134 miles (19,528 kilometers) away in Mota Lava, Vanuatu.
• In addition to being known as "Bamako Senou International Airport", another name for BKO is "Aéroport international de Bamako–Sénou".