Nonstop flight route between Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and Chumphon, Thailand:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA), Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and Chumphon Airport (CJM), Chumphon, Thailand would travel a Great Circle distance of 8,394 miles (or 13,508 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 Chumphon 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 Chumphon 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):

• 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.
• 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.
• The 740th AC&W Squadron began operations in 1955 with AN/MPS-7 search radar, and initially the station functioned as a Ground-Control Intercept and warning station.
• 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.
• Ellsworth AFB was established in 1941 as Rapid City Army Air Base.
• 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.

Facts about Chumphon Airport (CJM):

• Chumphon Airport (CJM) currently has only 1 runway.
• The furthest airport from Chumphon Airport (CJM) is Teniente FAP Jaime Montreuil Morales Airport (CHM), which is nearly antipodal to Chumphon Airport (meaning Chumphon Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Teniente FAP Jaime Montreuil Morales Airport), and is located 12,257 miles (19,726 kilometers) away in Chimbote, Ancash Region, Peru.
• The closest airport to Chumphon Airport (CJM) is Kawthaung Airport (KAW), which is located 72 miles (116 kilometers) SW of CJM.
• In addition to being known as "Chumphon Airport", another name for CJM is "ท่าอากาศยานชุมพร".
• The airport serves as the gateway to Chumphon and the islands of the a Gulf of Thailand and Chumphon Archipelago.
• In 2008 the airport reopened after nine years of closure.
• Because of Chumphon Airport's relatively low elevation of 18 feet, planes can take off or land at Chumphon 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.