Nonstop flight route between Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and Chañaral, Atacama Region, Chile:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA), Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and Chañaral Airport (CNR), Chañaral, Atacama Region, Chile would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,285 miles (or 8,505 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 Chañaral 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 Chañaral 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.
• In addition to being known as "Ellsworth Air Force Base", another name for RCA is "Ellsworth AFB".
• 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.
• 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.
• In March 1944, heavy bomber operational training ended and the 225th Army Air Force Base Unit began training of replacement personnel for deployed heavy bombardment units in the overseas combat theaters.
• On 1 June 1992, as part of the first major reorganization since the creation of USAF, the Air Force inactivated Strategic Air Command and assigned Ellsworth's organizations ) to the newly activated Air Combat Command.
• 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.
• When operations resumed in 1947 the base was a new United States Air Force asset.

Facts about Chañaral Airport (CNR):

• The furthest airport from Chañaral Airport (CNR) is Liping Airport (HZH), which is nearly antipodal to Chañaral Airport (meaning Chañaral Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Liping Airport), and is located 12,422 miles (19,991 kilometers) away in Liping County, Guizhou, China.
• In addition to being known as "Chañaral Airport", other names for CNR include "Chañaral Airport (Chañaral)" and "Aeropuerto de Chañaral".
• Chañaral Airport (CNR) currently has only 1 runway.
• Because of Chañaral Airport's relatively low elevation of 98 feet, planes can take off or land at Chañaral 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 Chañaral Airport (CNR) is Ricardo García Posada Airport El Salvador Bajo Airport (ESR), which is located 52 miles (84 kilometers) E of CNR.