Nonstop flight route between Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and Cartagena, Colombia:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA), Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and Rafael Núñez International Airport (CTG), Cartagena, Colombia would travel a Great Circle distance of 2,850 miles (or 4,587 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 Rafael Núñez 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 Rafael Núñez 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):

• 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 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.
• Rapid City AAF was assigned to the 17th Bombardment Training Wing, II Bomber Command.
• In addition to being known as "Ellsworth Air Force Base", another name for RCA is "Ellsworth AFB".
• The Titan I's life span was short in western South Dakota.
• 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 mission of the 28th Bomb Wing is to deliver decisive combat power for global response.

Facts about Rafael Núñez International Airport (CTG):

• The airport is managed since 1996 by the Society Caribbean Airports S.A.
• In 1930 the SCADTA built facilities to receive its first aircraft wheels on the airfield built on the island of Manzanillo.
• The furthest airport from Rafael Núñez International Airport (CTG) is Christmas Island Airport (XCH), which is nearly antipodal to Rafael Núñez International Airport (meaning Rafael Núñez International Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Christmas Island Airport), and is located 12,355 miles (19,883 kilometers) away in Christmas Island, Australia.
• The closest airport to Rafael Núñez International Airport (CTG) is Ernesto Cortissoz International Airport (BAQ), which is located 59 miles (94 kilometers) ENE of CTG.
• Because of Rafael Núñez International Airport's relatively low elevation of 4 feet, planes can take off or land at Rafael Núñez 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.
• Rafael Núñez International Airport (CTG) currently has only 1 runway.
• During 1993 and 1994 in developing the principles established in the new Constitution of 1991 to improve governance, the Law 105 of 1993 and the national government of President Cesar Gaviria, by Decree 1647 of 994, arranged decentralization airports by the Civil Aeronautics and set the parameters for this process forward.
• In addition to being known as "Rafael Núñez International Airport", another name for CTG is "Aeropuerto Internacional Rafael Núñez".
• In December 1946 it was inaugurated with great pomp Crespo Air Field in the city of Cartagena, which had been built by that subsidiary airport.