Nonstop flight route between Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and Circle Hot Springs, Alaska, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA), Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and Circle Hot Springs Airport (CHP), Circle Hot Springs, Alaska, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 2,146 miles (or 3,454 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 Circle Hot Springs Airport, the route shown on this map most likely still appears to be a straight line.

Departure Airport Information:

Arrival Airport Information:

Facts about Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA):

• Air Defense Command deactivated the Ellsworth radar site on 15 August 1962 and the 740th was discontinued.
• 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".
• Ellsworth AFB was established in 1941 as Rapid City Army Air Base.
• 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 host unit at Ellsworth is the 28th Bomb Wing assigned to the Air Combat Command's Twelfth Air Force.
• The installation changed names a few more times during its early years.
• The 44th Missile Wing, however, had ably accomplished its deterrence mission.
• 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.
• An AN/MPS-14 height-finder radar was added in 1956.
• Military organizations periodically upgrade manpower and machines from time to time to meet new national security requirements and Ellsworth Air Force Base's organizations were no exception.

Facts about Circle Hot Springs Airport (CHP):

• Circle Hot Springs Airport (CHP) currently has only 1 runway.
• Because of Circle Hot Springs Airport's relatively low elevation of 956 feet, planes can take off or land at Circle Hot Springs 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 closest airport to Circle Hot Springs Airport (CHP) is Central Airport (CEM), which is located only 8 miles (13 kilometers) NW of CHP.
• The furthest airport from Circle Hot Springs Airport (CHP) is Port Elizabeth International Airport (PLZ), which is located 10,223 miles (16,452 kilometers) away in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.