Nonstop flight route between Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and Cahokia, Illinois (near St. Louis), United States:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from RCA to CPS:
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- About this route
- RCA Airport Information
- CPS Airport Information
- Facts about RCA
- Facts about CPS
- Map of Nearest Airports to RCA
- List of Nearest Airports to RCA
- Map of Furthest Airports from RCA
- List of Furthest Airports from RCA
- Map of Nearest Airports to CPS
- List of Nearest Airports to CPS
- Map of Furthest Airports from CPS
- List of Furthest Airports from CPS
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA), Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and St. Louis Downtown Airport (CPS), Cahokia, Illinois (near St. Louis), United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 772 miles (or 1,242 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 St. Louis Downtown Airport, the route shown on this map most likely still appears to be a straight line.
Departure Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | RCA / KRCA |
Airport Names: |
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Location: | Rapid City, South Dakota, United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 44°8'47"N by 103°4'28"W |
View all routes: | Routes from RCA |
More Information: | RCA Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
IATA / ICAO Codes: | CPS / KCPS |
Airport Name: | St. Louis Downtown Airport |
Location: | Cahokia, Illinois (near St. Louis), United States |
GPS Coordinates: | 38°34'14"N by 90°9'21"W |
Area Served: | Greater St. Louis |
Operator/Owner: | Bi-State Development Agency |
Airport Type: | Public |
Elevation: | 413 feet (126 meters) |
# of Runways: | 3 |
View all routes: | Routes from CPS |
More Information: | CPS Maps & Info |
Facts about Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA):
- 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.
- An Army Air-Defense Command Post was established at Ellsworth in 1960 for Nike missile command-and-control functions.
- 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.
- In addition to being known as "Ellsworth Air Force Base", another name for RCA is "Ellsworth AFB".
- 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 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.
- The installation changed names a few more times during its early years.
Facts about St. Louis Downtown Airport (CPS):
- St. Louis Downtown Airport (CPS) has 3 runways.
- The airport closed in 1959 and reopened six years later as Bi-State Parks Airport.
- The closest airport to St. Louis Downtown Airport (CPS) is Lambert–St. Louis International Airport (STL), which is located only 16 miles (27 kilometers) NW of CPS.
- The furthest airport from St. Louis Downtown Airport (CPS) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 10,998 miles (17,700 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
- Because of St. Louis Downtown Airport's relatively low elevation of 413 feet, planes can take off or land at St. Louis Downtown 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 airport opened in 1929 as Curtiss-Steinberg Airport.
- Taken over by the United States Army Air Forces on 1 August 1939 as a basic pilot training airfield.