Nonstop flight route between Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and Blythe, California, United States:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from RCA to BLH:
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- About this route
- RCA Airport Information
- BLH Airport Information
- Facts about RCA
- Facts about BLH
- Map of Nearest Airports to RCA
- List of Nearest Airports to RCA
- Map of Furthest Airports from RCA
- List of Furthest Airports from RCA
- Map of Nearest Airports to BLH
- List of Nearest Airports to BLH
- Map of Furthest Airports from BLH
- List of Furthest Airports from BLH
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA), Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and Blythe Airport (BLH), Blythe, California, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 958 miles (or 1,542 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 relatively short distance between Ellsworth Air Force Base and Blythe Airport, the route shown on this map most likely still appears to be a straight line.
Departure Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | RCA / KRCA |
Airport Names: |
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Location: | Rapid City, South Dakota, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 44°8'47"N by 103°4'28"W |
View all routes: | Routes from RCA |
More Information: | RCA Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | BLH / KBLH |
Airport Names: |
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Location: | Blythe, California, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 33°36'52"N by 114°42'47"W |
Area Served: | Blythe, California |
Operator/Owner: | County of Riverside |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 399 feet (122 meters) |
# of Runways: | 2 |
View all routes: | Routes from BLH |
More Information: | BLH Maps & Info |
Facts about Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA):
- On 15 July 1945, the 225th AAFBU was inactivated and Rapid City AAB was placed on standby status as the Army Air Forces began to demobilize.
- 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.
- Air Defense Command activated the 740th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron at Rapid City AFB on 1 February 1953 under the ADC 31st Air Division.
- In addition to being known as "Ellsworth Air Force Base", another name for RCA is "Ellsworth AFB".
- Ellsworth's population of approximately 8,000 includes military members, family members and civilian employees.
- 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.
- Rapid City AAF was assigned to the 17th Bombardment Training Wing, II Bomber Command.
- An AN/MPS-14 height-finder radar was added in 1956.
Facts about Blythe Airport (BLH):
- The 46th Bombardment Group and later the 85th Bombardment Group occupied the field during the CAMA days and flew a variety of planes including A-31 Vengeances and A-36 Apaches.
- Blythe Airport is seven miles west of Blythe, in Riverside County, California.
- In addition to being known as "Blythe Airport", another name for BLH is "(former Blythe Army Air Field)".
- The closest airport to Blythe Airport (BLH) is Laguna Army Airfield (LGF), which is located 55 miles (89 kilometers) SSE of BLH.
- Because of Blythe Airport's relatively low elevation of 399 feet, planes can take off or land at Blythe 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.
- Blythe Airport (BLH) has 2 runways.
- The furthest airport from Blythe Airport (BLH) is Sir Gaëtan Duval Airport (RRG), which is located 11,472 miles (18,462 kilometers) away in Rodrigues Island, Mauritius.
- Blythe was served by Bonanza Air Lines with Fairchild F-27s to Los Angeles, Phoenix, Tucson and other cities.