Nonstop flight route between Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and Zhengzhou, Henan, China:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA), Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport (CGO), Zhengzhou, Henan, China would travel a Great Circle distance of 6,527 miles (or 10,505 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 Zhengzhou Xinzheng 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 Zhengzhou Xinzheng 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 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Rapid City AAF was assigned to the 17th Bombardment Training Wing, II Bomber Command.

Facts about Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport (CGO):

• Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport handled 10,150,075 passengers last year.
• As for 2010, Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport was the 20th busiest airport in the People's Republic of China with 8,707,873 passengers.
• The closest airport to Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport (CGO) is Luoyang Beijiao Airport (LYA), which is located 84 miles (135 kilometers) W of CGO.
• Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport is the principal airport serving Zhengzhou, the capital of Henan Province, China.
• Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport (CGO) currently has only 1 runway.
• Because of Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport's relatively low elevation of 495 feet, planes can take off or land at Zhengzhou Xinzheng 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.
• The furthest airport from Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport (CGO) is Brigadier Mayor Cesar Raúl Ojeda Airport (LUQ), which is nearly antipodal to Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport (meaning Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Brigadier Mayor Cesar Raúl Ojeda Airport), and is located 12,350 miles (19,876 kilometers) away in San Luis, Argentina.
• In addition to being known as "Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport", other names for CGO include "郑州新郑国际机场" and "Zhèngzhōu Xīnzhèng Guójì Jīchǎng".