Nonstop flight route between Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and Calabar, Nigeria:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA), Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and Margaret Ekpo International Airport (CBQ), Calabar, Nigeria would travel a Great Circle distance of 7,018 miles (or 11,295 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 Margaret Ekpo 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 Margaret Ekpo 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 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.
• Internationally, the destruction of the Berlin Wall in October 1989 symbolized the imminent demise of the Soviet Union over the next several months.
• Rapid City AAB was reactivated on 11 October 1945 and was assigned to Continental Air Force.
• 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.
• 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 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.
• 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.

Facts about Margaret Ekpo International Airport (CBQ):

• The closest airport to Margaret Ekpo International Airport (CBQ) is Akwa Ibom International Airport (QUO), which is located only 18 miles (30 kilometers) WSW of CBQ.
• Margaret Ekpo International Airport (CBQ) currently has only 1 runway.
• The furthest airport from Margaret Ekpo International Airport (CBQ) is Canton Island Airport (CIS), which is nearly antipodal to Margaret Ekpo International Airport (meaning Margaret Ekpo International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Canton Island Airport), and is located 12,284 miles (19,770 kilometers) away in Canton Island, Kiribati.
• Because of Margaret Ekpo International Airport's relatively low elevation of 210 feet, planes can take off or land at Margaret Ekpo 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.