Nonstop flight route between Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and Changzhi, Shanxi, China:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA), Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and Changzhi Wangcun Airport (CIH), Changzhi, Shanxi, China would travel a Great Circle distance of 6,437 miles (or 10,359 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 Changzhi Wangcun 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 Changzhi Wangcun 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 host unit at Ellsworth is the 28th Bomb Wing assigned to the Air Combat Command's Twelfth Air Force.
• 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.
• 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.
• When operations resumed in 1947 the base was a new United States Air Force asset.
• 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.
• Rapid City AAF was assigned to the 17th Bombardment Training Wing, II Bomber Command.
• In addition to being known as "Ellsworth Air Force Base", another name for RCA is "Ellsworth AFB".
• 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.

Facts about Changzhi Wangcun Airport (CIH):

• Changzhi Wangcun Airport (CIH) currently has only 1 runway.
• The closest airport to Changzhi Wangcun Airport (CIH) is Handan Airport (HDG), which is located 75 miles (121 kilometers) ENE of CIH.
• In addition to being known as "Changzhi Wangcun Airport", other names for CIH include "长治王村机场" and "Changzhi Wangcun Jīchǎng".
• The furthest airport from Changzhi Wangcun Airport (CIH) is Colonia Catriel Airport (CCT), which is nearly antipodal to Changzhi Wangcun Airport (meaning Changzhi Wangcun Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Colonia Catriel Airport), and is located 12,310 miles (19,811 kilometers) away in Colonia Catriel, Río Negro, Argentina.