Nonstop flight route between Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and Blantyre, Malawi:
Departure Airport:

Arrival Airport:

Distance from RCA to BLZ:
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- About this route
- RCA Airport Information
- BLZ Airport Information
- Facts about RCA
- Facts about BLZ
- 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 BLZ
- List of Nearest Airports to BLZ
- Map of Furthest Airports from BLZ
- List of Furthest Airports from BLZ
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA), Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and Chileka International Airport (BLZ), Blantyre, Malawi would travel a Great Circle distance of 9,299 miles (or 14,966 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 Chileka 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 Chileka International Airport. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!
Departure Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | RCA / KRCA |
Airport Names: |
|
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: | BLZ / FWCL |
Airport Name: | Chileka International Airport |
Location: | Blantyre, Malawi |
GPS Coordinates: | 15°40'44"S by 34°58'26"E |
Area Served: | Blantyre, Malawi |
Operator/Owner: | Government |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 2555 feet (779 meters) |
# of Runways: | 2 |
View all routes: | Routes from BLZ |
More Information: | BLZ Maps & Info |
Facts about Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA):
- 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 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 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.
- 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 mission of the 28th Bomb Wing is to deliver decisive combat power for global response.
- In addition to being known as "Ellsworth Air Force Base", another name for RCA is "Ellsworth AFB".
- 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.
- 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.
Facts about Chileka International Airport (BLZ):
- Chileka International Airport (BLZ) has 2 runways.
- The closest airport to Chileka International Airport (BLZ) is Chingozi Airport (TCV), which is located 93 miles (150 kilometers) WSW of BLZ.
- The furthest airport from Chileka International Airport (BLZ) is Hilo International Airport (ITO), which is located 11,721 miles (18,863 kilometers) away in Hilo, Hawaii, United States.