Nonstop flight route between Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and Changsha, Hunan, China:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA), Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and Changsha Huanghua International Airport (CSX), Changsha, Hunan, China would travel a Great Circle distance of 6,937 miles (or 11,165 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 Changsha Huanghua International 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 Changsha Huanghua International 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".
• 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.
• An AN/MPS-14 height-finder radar was added in 1956.
• 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.
• The airfield was again temporarily shut down from September 1946 – March 1947 and underwent a major construction program to upgrade the temporary wartime facilities to that of a permanent base.
• The mission of the 28th Bomb Wing is to deliver decisive combat power for global response.
• 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.
• 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.

Facts about Changsha Huanghua International Airport (CSX):

• The provincial government also has plans to construct a maglev line between Changsha Huanghua International Airport and Changsha South Railway Station.
• Construction for the airport started on June 25, 1986, and the first flight departed on August 29, 1989.
• Changsha Huanghua International Airport handled 13,684,731 passengers last year.
• The closest airport to Changsha Huanghua International Airport (CSX) is Yichun Mingyueshan Airport (YIC), which is located 72 miles (115 kilometers) ESE of CSX.
• Changsha Huanghua International Airport (CSX) currently has only 1 runway.
• In addition to being known as "Changsha Huanghua International Airport", other names for CSX include "长沙黄花国际机场" and "Chángshā Huánghuā Guójì Jīchǎng".
• The furthest airport from Changsha Huanghua International Airport (CSX) is Coronel Felipe Varela International Airport (CTC), which is nearly antipodal to Changsha Huanghua International Airport (meaning Changsha Huanghua International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Coronel Felipe Varela International Airport), and is located 12,369 miles (19,905 kilometers) away in Catamarca, Catamarca, Argentina.
• Because of Changsha Huanghua International Airport's relatively low elevation of 217 feet, planes can take off or land at Changsha Huanghua International 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 old terminal covers an area of 33,000 square meters and consists of concourses A, B, and C.