Nonstop flight route between Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and Carúpano, Venezuela:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA), Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and General José Francisco Bermúdez Airport (CUP), Carúpano, Venezuela would travel a Great Circle distance of 3,309 miles (or 5,325 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 General José Francisco Bermúdez 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 General José Francisco Bermúdez 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 installation changed names a few more times during its early years.
• 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 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 AN/MPS-14 height-finder radar was added in 1956.
• 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.
• In addition to being known as "Ellsworth Air Force Base", another name for RCA is "Ellsworth AFB".
• 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.
• Rapid City AAF was assigned to the 17th Bombardment Training Wing, II Bomber Command.
• Air Defense Command deactivated the Ellsworth radar site on 15 August 1962 and the 740th was discontinued.
• In March 1994, Ellsworth welcomed the 34th Bomb Squadron, a geographically separated unit that was awaiting airfield upgrades before it could return to its parent organization, the 366th Wing, at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho.

Facts about General José Francisco Bermúdez Airport (CUP):

• General José Francisco Bermúdez Airport (CUP) currently has only 1 runway.
• Because of General José Francisco Bermúdez Airport's relatively low elevation of 33 feet, planes can take off or land at General José Francisco Bermúdez 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 General José Francisco Bermúdez Airport (CUP) is Santiago Mariño Caribbean International Airport (PMV), which is located 51 miles (82 kilometers) WNW of CUP.
• The furthest airport from General José Francisco Bermúdez Airport (CUP) is Lombok International Airport (LOP), which is nearly antipodal to General José Francisco Bermúdez Airport (meaning General José Francisco Bermúdez Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Lombok International Airport), and is located 12,302 miles (19,798 kilometers) away in Mataram (near Praya), Lombok, Indonesia.