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):

• In addition to being known as "Ellsworth Air Force Base", another name for RCA is "Ellsworth AFB".
• Air Defense Command activated the 740th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron at Rapid City AFB on 1 February 1953 under the ADC 31st Air Division.
• 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.
• 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.
• An AN/MPS-14 height-finder radar was added in 1956.
• In 1986, the base and the 28 BMW made extensive preparations to phase out the aging B-52 fleet and become the second home for the advanced B-1B Lancer.
• 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.
• Rapid City AAB was reactivated on 11 October 1945 and was assigned to Continental Air Force.

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.
• 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.
• 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.